


RWBY Disney AUs

by Hester_Of_Ravenswood



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, No Smut, No enabler, Surprise Pairing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hester_Of_Ravenswood/pseuds/Hester_Of_Ravenswood
Summary: There's no ACTUAL pollination (cause it turns out that no Disney AUs have a set up for four romantic interests) but each chapter will have a different mix up of the four girls, excluding enabler!
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 20
Kudos: 34





	1. Tangled: Ladybug

"This is the story of how I met the most **beautiful** woman in the world, who knocked me unconscious within the first minute of having met me."

"You broke in!"

"I _saved_ you!"

"No, I saved _you_!"

"We saved each other. But that's not the point. This isn't _my_ story at all, really. It all started with a small drop of the sun falling against the earth, and it started with a wonderful baby girl named Ruby."

-

Blake stood, holding onto the side of the castle top.

"You know, I think I could get used to a view like this," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on," her partner in crime, Ilia, called, rolling her eyes.

"Hold on. Yep, I'm used to it. Guys I want a castle," Blake said, grinning.

"We do this job, you can buy your own castle," Ilia replied.

A few minutes later, Ilia was lowering her down via a rope into the chamber, and Blake grinned, reaching down to grab the crown.

The guard sneezed.

"Oh, hay fever?" Blake asked. Outside, Ilia groaned.

"Dust damnit, Blake," she muttered.

"Yeah. Huh? Wait, wait. Hey, wait!" the guard cried as Ilia pulled Blake out of the chamber, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her out.

"Did you seriously just do that?!" Ilia hissed as they raced away.

Blake gave her a small smile, winking.

"I can't believe I ever liked you," Ilia cursed as they ran off.

-

Ruby bounced up and down in excitement.

"Okay, Crescent Rose! Today's the day! I'm going to ask her!"

Ruby giggled, looking around the room in excitement. The tower was dirty, considering Ruby had tried to clean it herself, and her mother had been gone for three days now, which meant that nobody had **really** cleaned the room since then.

Crescent Rose made a small sound in her hands, and she glanced down at the chameleon.

"Ruby! Let down your hair!" a voice cried.

"It's time. I know, I know. Come on, don't let her see you," Ruby whispered to the chameleon, letting Crescent Rose down on the ground and watching her skitter away.

"Ruby, I'm not getting any younger down here," Mother Salem yelled.

"Coming, mother!"

Ruby raced to the window and let her long, blood red hair loop over the hook until Salem was able to grab onto it.

"Hi, mother! Welcome home!" Ruby said breathlessly.

"Oh, Ruby. How you manage to do that every single day, without fail, it looks absolutely exhausting, darling," Salem said.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ruby said, though she was breathless.

"Then I don't know why it takes so long," Salem laughed. "Oh, darling. I'm just teasing."

Ruby gave her an uncomfortable chuckle at the words, rubbing the back on her neck awkwardly as she tried to calm herself.

"Ruby, look at that mirror. You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady."

She paused, and Ruby stood straighter, feeling proud of herself.

"Oh look, you're here too!" Salem said. Ruby sighed and crumbled in on herself. "I'm just teasing, stop taking everything so seriously."

Salem walked over to the side, looking at herself in the mirror while Ruby built up her confidence.

"Okay, so mother. I was thinking tomorrow..."

"Flower, mother's feeling a little run down. Would you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk," Salem said.

"OH! Of course, mother!"

Ruby dashed across the room to grab a brush and stool, which she made Salem sit down in.

Ruby look a deep breath and flopped against the floor, starting to sing as fast as possible.

"Flower gleam and glow, Let your power shine _,_ Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine."

"Ruby!" Salem snapped as she struggled to brush her daughter's hair, the magic washing over her.

"So, mother, earlier I ask if tomorrow was a pretty big day, and you didn't really respond, So I'm just going to tell you. It's my birthday! TADA!" Ruby was talking super quickly, and Salem raised an eyebrow.

"No, no, no can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year," Salem said, smirking to herself as she looked in the mirror, messing with her hair.

"That's the funny thing about birthdays. They're kind of an annual thing. Mother, I'm turning eighteen. And I wanted to ask, what I really want for this birthday. Actually what I want for every birthday...," Ruby said, starting to mumble to herself.

"Ruby, please, stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Blah, blah, blah,...blah. It's very annoying. I'm just teasing, you're adorable I love you so much, darling," Salem said distractedly.

Ruby took a deep breath.

"I want to see the floating lights!" Ruby cried.

Salem stiffened.

"Oh, you mean the stars."

"That's the thing I've charted stars and they're always constant. But these, they appear every year on my birthday, Mother. Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel that they're, They're meant for me. I need see them, Mother. And not just from my window. In person. I have to know what they are," Ruby said, looking out the window distractedly.

"Ruby, what have I told you about leaving the tower?" Salem snapped angrily.

"But-"

"ENOUGH!" Salem snapped.

Ruby curled up in herself.

"Right, I'm sorry," Ruby said.

"I'm leaving, I'll be back in a few hours."

Ruby nodded quietly, sighing to herself and looking down.

Once Salem had gone back outside, descended through the use of Ruby's hair, the young girl sighed, glancing at Crescent Rose.

"I... had hoped that would go better than it did," she said.

Crescent Rose nodded, and Ruby sighed, grabbing the chameleon so that she skittered up her arm. Ruby held the animal to her chest gently.

-

Blake and Ilia raced through the woods, skidding to a stop when they reached a small cliff.

"Give me a boost," Blake said.

"How do I know you won't take the satchel and run?" Ilia said, gesturing at the bag that held the crown.

There was a beat of silence before the pair burst out laughing.

Ilia gave Blake a boost and she scrambled up the small cliff before reaching down and holding her hand out. Ilia grabbed on, and Blake pulled her up, the two taking off again at a sprint.

"Retrieve that satchel! We got them now!" a guard cried, racing after them.

"I'll get them," Ilia whispered, "just keep them distracted."

Blake grinned, giving her partner a grin before she turned a corner, heading into the deeper part of the forest. Ilia shifted colors so that she blended into the dark woods, scrambling up the tree and waiting until the guard ran by.

She threw herself out of the tree, tackling the guard.

Ilia expected herself to be thrown to the ground with the guard, but instead she slammed against the armored guard and stayed on the horse, eyes wide.

An arm wrapped around Ilia and held her tightly.

"I've got one!" the guard's voice cried out.

Blake glanced behind her as the horses and the guards followed her.

Her eyes locked with Ilia, who gestured for her to run.

"I'll come back for you," Blake mouthed silently to her, sure that her partner would be able to see it with her faunus vision.

Ilia gave her a small smile, trying to wiggle out of her guard's arms, but the other girl held her tightly.

Ilia took a deep breath before she pulled her sword out of its sheath, slashing toward the other two guard's horses and scaring them so badly that the horses fell over.

The only remaining guard, the one holding Ilia tightly, slapped her weapon out of her hand and it fell to the ground.

"Run!" Ilia cried, trying to unbalance her capture.

The guard struggled with her, and the horse seemed to panic, bucking.

Blake skidded to a stop before racing to the right around a corner. She saw a bit of light coming through some moss, and she pushed it apart, stepping inside a small cave. A moment later, the guard raced past with Ilia in tow.

Blake sighed, running a hand through her hair as she trailed through the cave. She was going to have to save her friend soon before the guard gave up trying to track down Blake.

After a minute, she found herself in a large clearing, an improbable tower standing in the middle of it.

Blake raised an eyebrow, shifting the satchel in her hands as she considered it. She glanced over her shoulder before taking off at a run.

She'd come back for Ilia, and the chameleon faunus knew it. She just needed a little time to think, and it would be great to wait that time in the abandoned tower.

Blake climbed up the tower and scrambled up the lip of the window. She looked around for a moment, ears twitching slightly. It looked almost like this room had been lived in recently-

Ruby swung the frying pan at top speed, hitting the faunus in the back of the head.

Blake slumped immediately, falling against the floor.

Ruby inched closer to the unknown intruder, poking them with her toe to see if they moved. When they didn't, Ruby used her foot to flip the intruder over slightly.

Her eyes widened in shock, staring at the small ears at the top of the girl's head.

"A faunus?" she breathed. She reached her frying pan down to lift up the unknown woman's lip. "No pointy teeth?" she muttered. Mother had always told her that all faunus were monsters...

Ruby finally shook her head, setting the frying pan and grabbing the faunus under her arms, pulling her toward the dresser.

Just as she was about to lock the girl in the dresser, she paused and grabbed the satchel from around her shoulders, setting it on the ground.

She slammed the door shut before Blake could fall out of the dresser. She smiled to herself, picking up her frying pan again and going to look at herself in the mirror.

"Okay, okay, I got a person in the closet. I got a person in the closet. I got a person in my closet! To weak to handle myself out there, huh Mother? Well, Tell that to my pan here."

Ruby's voice was smug as she twirled the frying pan around her fingers for a moment before it hit her in the face.

"Ow," Ruby muttered, rubbing at her face.

Just then, a voice called up from outside.

"Ruby! Let down your hair."

"One moment, Mother."

"I have a big surprise," Salem said.

"Uh, I do too," Ruby said excitedly.

"Oh, I bet my surprise is bigger," Salem responded.

"I seriously doubt at it," Ruby muttered to herself.

Salem stepped inside as Ruby finally got her to the window.

"Okay, I've been thinking a lot about what you said, earlier," Ruby said quickly.

"I hope you're not still talking about the stars," Salem said with a small glare.

"Before you answer, yes I'm leading up to that," Ruby continued, trying to speak without any interruptions.

"Because I really thought we dropped the issue, sweetheart," Salem all but growled.

"No Mother, I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there," Ruby said.

"ENOUGH!" Salem snapped.

There was a long moment of silence as Ruby kicked at the ground awkwardly.

"All I was gonna say, mother is that... I know what I want for my birthday, now," Ruby said slowly.

"And what is that?" Salem asked, running her hand down her face in frustration.

"New paint. That paint made from the white shells you once brought me," Ruby said quietly.

"Well that is a very long trip, Ruby. Almost three day's time," Salem said.

"I just thought it was a better idea than, stars," Ruby muttered.

After a few minutes, Salem reluctantly agreed and left the tower.

Ruby turned to look at the dresser immediately, hefting her frying pan in her hands.

-

Ilia struggled in the only guard's arms.

"Stop that, I don't want to hurt you," the guard said.

"You're never gonna find her!" Ilia said.

"She'll be back for you," the guard said, stepping off of the horse and holding Ilia tightly.

Ilia struggled in their arms, but the guard easily held her with one hand, the other using rope to tie Ilia's hands together.

The guard turned Ilia to face them, reaching a hand up to remove the helmet.

Ilia's breath caught as she looked up into gentle green eyes.

"I won't hurt you, but I'm not going to let you go either."

Ilia stared at her with disbelief, nodding slowly.

"Y-yeah... okay," she muttered.

The guard grinned at her.

"You're Ilia, right? My name's Pyrrha."

Ilia's scales turned red.

"Are you alright?" the guard asked.

Ilia nodded hesitantly.

 _Blake, you better hurry,_ Ilia thought to herself as Pyrrha gently helped her back onto the horse, holding her around the waist.

-

Blake's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around. All around her, she saw...

"Is this... hair?" she asked to herself, struggling in the chair she was tied to by bright red hair.

A figure from the rafters of the towers, looked down at Blake.

"Struggling...struggling is pointless. I know why you're here. And I'm not afraid of you," the young woman said.

"What?" Blake asked, looking around in confusion.

"Who are you, and how did you find me?" the woman demanded.

Blake took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"I know not who you are. Nor how I came to find you," she said. "But may I just say. Hi! How you doing? Name's Blake Belladonna."

She gave the woman a smirk as she looked up at her.

"Who else knows my location, Blake Belladonna?" she asked, jumping down from the rafters and trying to intimidate the faunus with a dark glare.

"Not even _I_ know your location right now, Red. I was in a situation, running through the forest, and-wait, where's my satchel?!" Blake cried, neck craning as she looked around the room desperately.

"I hid it, somewhere you'll never find it," Ruby said. Her eyes darted to a flower pot.

"It's in the pot, isn't it?" Blake asked, eyebrow raised and voice monotone.

There was a beat of silence before Ruby slammed the frying pan against Blake's head.

A moment later, Blake woke up again.

"Now it's hidden where you'll never find it. So, what do you want, with my hair? To cut it?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, what?" Blake asked, frowning in confusion.

"No! Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair, is to get out of it. Literally!" Blake cried.

"Wait, do you not want my hair?" Ruby asked, staring down at her.

"Why would I want your hair? Listen, I was just running through the forest, my friend got... lost, and now I'm just trying to get out of here."

"Are you telling the truth?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

"Why would I lie to you, Red?" she asked.

"Ruby. My name's Ruby."

"Ruby," Blake smirked. "That's a beautiful name."

Ruby turned to the chameleon on her shoulder, muttering to it. The animal reminded Blake of Ilia, and it made her more anxious to get outside.

"I know, but she's the only chance I have to see the lights," Ruby muttered to Crescent Rose. "I don't know if she's telling the truth, but we have to trust her."

Blake's ear twitched as she listened, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you need me to do?" the faunus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ruby strode over to the chair, grabbing it and tipping Blake forward so that their faces were less than a centimeter apart.

"You're going to take me to see the floating lights, or you're _never_ going to see that satchel of yours again."

Blake stared at her, ear twitching and making Ruby stare at it with a sort of wonder.

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" Blake asked.

"Lanterns... I knew they weren't stars. Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky, with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, Take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal," Ruby said.

Blake looked Ruby up and down quickly for a moment before offering a smirk.

"Sounds good to me," she said, thinking about Ilia. This was her chance.

"Really?!" Ruby cried, almost dropping the faunus.

Blake's eyes widened and Ruby steadied her.

When Ruby had stopped her from falling over, Blake gave her the best smirk she could.

Ruby stared at her for a long moment before she set her chair down, hurrying to untie her from her hair.

-

"You coming?" Blake asked, climbing down the side of the tower.

Ruby took a long breath to think before setting Crescent Rose on her shoulder.

"Ready?" she whispered. The chameleon tied a bit of her red hair around her waist and holding up the chameleon form of a thumbs up.

Ruby threw herself off of the window and slid down her hair with an excited cry.

Blake watched her with wide eyes.

 _She's going to break her neck_ , the faunus thought worriedly, staring at her intently. When Ruby stopped near the ground, Blake let out a breath of relief as she continued down toward the ground.

Blake touched the ground and as went up to the young woman, seeing that she was hesitating just a centimeter above the ground.

"Hey, hey, Red, just calm down," Blake said.

Ruby hesitated, glancing up at her.

Blake sighed and reached her arms up, grabbing the other girl around the waist.

"I'm going to put you down now, alright?" she asked gently.

Ruby stared into her eyes, nodding.

Blake gently set her against the grass, and Ruby let out a giggle of excitement, starting to race around the clearing enthusiastically.

"Best day ever!"

-

Ilia's eyes suddenly widened, and she held back a smile.

"I think I know where she is."

Pyrrha stared down at Ilia, raising an eyebrow.

"How do I know you're not tricking me?"

"You don't have any choice," Ilia replied.

-

Ruby raced around the clearing, and Blake watched her with a small smile, arms crossed her against her chest.

Finally, Ruby dashed toward her, throwing herself at the faunus.

Blake's eyes widened as she steadied them, hands hesitantly coming to rest on her waist.

"I'm really outside!" she cried, looking around with a sort of dazed wonder.

"Uh, yeah... so you've really _never_ gone outside before?" Blake asked.

Ruby laughed awkwardly.

"Mother always said I wasn't ready for the outside world. That's why I need you."

Blake stared down at her, her grip tightening around Ruby's waist.

"Well... I'm here now," she offered.

Ruby grinned up at her with excitement, eyes seeming to glow.

"I know! And-"

Ruby stopped instantly at the sound of rustling in the bushes.

Ruby dashed behind Blake, holding her frying pan tightly as she climbed up the other girl's back, holding on for protection.

"What is it, ruffians, thugs?!"

A small bunny hopped out of the bush.

"Stay calm, it can probably smell fear," Blake said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, sorry. Getting just a little bit, jumpy," Ruby said awkwardly, letting go of Blake and climbing off of her back.

"Probably be best if we avoid ruffians and thugs, though," Blake replied, smirking at her new traveling companion.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed excitedly, head nodding up and down quickly.

Blake considered for a moment.

"Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch."

-

Salem strode through the forest with a basket in hand, muttering to herself about Ruby's demands. Since when did kidnapping mean that she had to raise a bratty little girl that couldn't clean up for herself?!

Salem froze where she stood, diving into the bushes as silently as possible when she saw the captain of the guard, a familiar woman. Pyrrha Nikos held a criminal around the waist, looking around with a sort of concentration mixed with frustration.

"Oh no," Salem whispered to herself. She dashed back through the forest, skidding to a stop just as she reached the mossy cave, which she sprinted through.

"Ruby?! Ruby, let down your hair!" she called.

There was no response.

-

Blake glanced at the restaurant with a slightly guilty expression.

"Okay, just in and out, real quick," she said.

"I thought we were getting lunch," Ruby said, frowning.

"Uh, we are! We are, it's just... we have to go fast if we want to get you to the lanterns in time, right?"

Ruby's eyes glowed with excitement and she nodded enthusiastically.

She took Blake by the hand and tugged her toward the restaurant.

 _It's a good thing I'm the one that found her instead of some_ ** _actual_** _thugs,_ Blake thought to herself as she was dragged toward the restaurant. _She is_ ** _definitely_** _not careful enough with strangers. Ironic considering she knocked me out twice in the last hour._

Blake pushed the door open slowly, eyes scanning across the room quickly.

She glanced at Ruby for a moment, considering.

"Hey, Red, let me borrow that cloak of yours," she said, holding out her hands.

Ruby held her red cloak tighter, frowning in confusion.

"What? Why?"

"I'd rather not be seen," Blake muttered.

Ruby considered for a second before she slipped the cloak off and handed it to Blake.

"You better give it back," she muttered.

"Oh, believe me, this is **not** my kind of clothing," Blake said, slipping it around her shoulders.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked, sounding offended.

Blake didn't get the chance to respond, because an _actual_ thug appeared in front of them. He grabbed a bit of Ruby's hair, holding it up to inspect it.

"That's a lot of hair," he muttered.

"She's growing it out," Blake replied quickly, slapping his hand so that he dropped the strands.

Ruby moved closer to Blake, pulling her hair to her chest and trying to watch everyone in the room to make sure they didn't grab any of the strands.

Blake tried to pull Ruby further into the restaurant, toward the corner specifically, but anther thug appeared in front of her, squinting his eyes. He slapped a hand over a familiar wanted poster.

"Is this you?" he asked.

Blake moved his fingers to get a look at hit. She scowled when she got a look at the ears, which were _the wrong color_! They **always** got her ears wrong!

"Nope, can't say it is," Blake replied quickly, keeping her voice level.

"Are you sure?" another asked, stepping closer with a small glare.

"Positive," Blake replied, ducking as he reached out to grab her. "Ruby, get out of here," she muttered.

"Oh, it's her all right. Gretta, go find some guards. That reward is going to buy me a new hook," a man said, smirking.

"Dust," Blake cursed, pushing Ruby back toward the door.

A man grabbed Blake by the collar of her shirt, lifting her into the air and shoving her against the wall.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Ruby cried, trying to get past the myriad of thugs that had surrounded Blake.

"This is all a _huge_ misunderstanding," Blake said, holding her hands up in front of her face.

"Give me back my guide! Ruffians!" Ruby cried, but they didn't seem to hear her, or acknowledge her trying to push them to the side so that she could reach Blake.

A thug raised his arm, hand curling into a fist.

"Dust, not again," Blake muttered to herself, wincing in preparation for the punch.

Ruby grabbed a bit of her scarlet hair, tossing it over a small supportive beam, which she pulled with all her might. When she let go, it slammed against one of the thug's head. Ruby glared at his back, standing as tall as she could and holding her frying pan up.

"Put her down! Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need her to take me to see the lanterns, because I've been dreaming about them my entire life. Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?" Ruby screamed.

The man with the hook for a hand turned slowly, glaring at her. Ruby gulped, but didn't lower her weapon.

"I, had a dream. Once. I'm malicious mean and scary. My sneer could curdle dairy. And violence-wise my hands are not the cleanest. But despite my evil look, and my temper and my hook. I've always yearned to be a concert pianist. Can'tcha see me on the stage performing Mozart. Tickling the ivories, 'til they gleam. Yep, I'd rather be called deadly. For my killer show-tune medley. Thank you. 'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream. See, I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem. Though I feel like breaking femurs. You can count me with the dreamers. Like everybody else, I've gotta dr-"

"I've got scars and lumps and bruises. Plus there's something here that oozes. Let's not even mention my complexion. But despite my extra toes. And my goiter and my nose. I really want to make a love connection. Can't you see me with a special little lady. Rowing in a row boat, down the stream. Though I'm one disgusting blighter. I'm a lover, not a fighter. 'Cause way down deep inside, I gotta dream."

Before he could continue singing, the door slammed open and a man stood, panting.

"I found some guards!" he cried.

"Dust," Blake cursed. She reached her hand up, digging her nails into the hand that held her in the air. The hand instantly retracting and she fell to the ground gracefully. She raced forward, grabbing Ruby by the hand and darting further into the restaurant.

As several different thugs reached for the pair, Blake stole the frying pan from Ruby's hand, using it to defend them from various attacks.

Blake reached the bar and skidded to a stop, grabbing Ruby by the waist and hoisting her up.

"He-"

Blake slapped a hand over her mouth and set her down behind the bar before vaulting over herself.

She pulled Ruby down to the ground, sticking her head just slightly over the lip of the bar to get a good look at the guards.

There were four of them, far too many for her to take on with a frying pan, and-

Blake's eyes widened as her gaze locked with Ilia's. Her mind spun, knowing her friend led the guard here just as they'd planned.

Running wasn't an option, but what could Blake d-

"Go," Ilia mouthed.

Blake stared at her, indecision written across her face.

"I'm fine, go," Ilia repeated silently, giving her an intense stare.

Blake growled lowly before crawling across the ground and pulling a lever, which opened a trap door. Blake had been here a few times and seen it used only once. She'd never mentioned it to anyone but Ilia, but she was glad she remembered now.

"Go," she whispered to Ruby.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked, grabbing Blake by the collar of the shirt.

Blake considered, glancing over her shoulder as she saw the captain of the guard talking to the thugs. Ilia subtly gestured at her to run.

Blake growled.

"With you, Red, now move it!" she hissed.

The two of them ducked into the secret passage, which Blake closed behind them.

The pair walked through the dimly lit passage way. Blake grabbed the cloak from around her shoulders and set them on Ruby's.

"You really distracted them back there. Didn't know you had that in you, Red," Blake said with a small smirk.

Ruby put her hands behind her back, swaying just slightly as she walked at Blake's side, glancing at the faunus occasionally.

"I know! I know...," she trailed off for a moment and glanced at her guide. "Sooo, Blake... where are you from?"

"Whoa, whoa, sorry Red, I don't do that story. However I am becoming very interested in yours. Now I...I know I'm not suppose to mention the hair."

Ruby nodded.

"Or the mother."

Ruby nodded again.

"Frankly I'm too scared to ask about the chameleon," she continued, gesturing at Crescent Rose, who glared at her. "Actually? You know what? She reminds me of my friend."

"She does?" Ruby asked, frowning.

"Uh, yeah, kind of. My friend, the one I'm trying to track down, she's a chameleon faunus."

"Really?!" Ruby asked, sounding equal parts intrigued and afriad.

Blake glanced at her.

"Yeah. Let me guess, there's something your mother had to say about faunus."

"A lot, actually," Ruby said, laughing awkwardly.

"Most people do," Blake replied, glancing over her shoulder.

Ruby gained an expression of excitement, but she held her mouth shut. Blake saw her expression and let out a quiet laugh.

"You have questions, don't you?"

Ruby nodded.

"Go ahead and ask," Blake replied, rolling her eyes.

"Do you not all have sharp teeth? Is it true that you have night vision? Why don't you have a tail? How come you can speak English? Why do you look like a person?"

Blake blinked at the rapid questioning.

"Uh, no and then yes, and as for the rest... Ruby, you do know that faunus are just regular people with one animal feature, right?"

Ruby stared at her, eyes wide.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we're just normal people."

Ruby considered for a moment.

"So... faunus aren't just mindless animals?" Ruby asked awkwardly.

Blake rolled her eyes.

"No, we're not."

"Awesome! Your ears are really cute! Can I touch them?"

Blake glanced at her.

"That's actually-"

Ruby grinned at her excitedly.

"It's alright. Go ahead."

Ruby quickly closed the distance between them and reached her hand up toward Blake's head, hesitating at the last moment.

Blake considered, staring down at the other girl. She shouldn't be letting her do this, becaues Blake was a **strong** fighter for faunus rights, and she barely even knew this girl, who had just asked her some of the most racist questions she'd ever heard of (though Ruby _had_ said it in the nicest way that Blake had ever heard anyone be racist).

Despite her doubts, Blake ducked her head, letting Ruby set her hand against it with a small smile, running her hand over the ears.

"They're so soft!" Ruby said happily.

"You know, if you meet another faunus, you should probably not ask them to touch whatever their faunus trait is. Or call it cute. It's kind of offensive."

Ruby's hand retracted quickly, and she grimaced.

"Oh, I'm really sorry!" she said.

Blake caught her by the wrist.

"No, it's alright."

She gave Ruby a kind smile and Ruby grinned back at her. The younger girl was about to speak, but the footsteps behind them caused Blake's ears to twitch, her eyes shooting down the hall.

-

Pyrrha strode through the restaurant, looking around purposefully while leading a tied up Ilia behind her.

"There's no sign of Belladonna, Captain Nikos!" a guard called.

Pyrrha stopped at the bar, glancing at Ilia with a raised eyebrow.

She vaulted over the bar and pulled a lever, opening the trapdoor.

"After you, Ms. Amitola," she said.

Ilia tried to step over the bar, but failed with her arms tied.

Pyrrha reached out and wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist, lifting her into the air and setting her down on the other side of the bar.

Ilia stared up at her with wide eyes, scales turning a dark shade of red.

"Maybe if you help me find that partner of yours, we can strike up a deal, make sure you don't get long behind bars."

Pyrrha smiled at her gently.

Ilia felt her heart racing.

"I'm not going to help you find her," Ilia said, but her voice was higher pitched than normal.

"Pyrrha, why do you always end up making the criminals fall in love with you?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha watched Ilia as she walked ahead of them down the passage way ahead of them, clearly not hearing the conversation. She had a small smile on her face.

"First of all, Neo didn't fall for me. Second of all... I never _try_ to seduce them."

There was a moment of hesitation.

"At least, I haven't before."

-

"Ilia," Blake breathed, eyes wide.

"Who's that?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, they don't like me. Except that one," she said, waving at Ilia.

Ilia nodded her head back, giving her an apologetic smile.

"We gotta run," Blake said, grabbing her traveling companion's hand and dragging her outside quickly.

Ruby grabbed her hair in her hands before dashing through the passageway. Blake threw the doors open and the pair burst out.

Blake grabbed the frying pan and pushed Ruby back behind her defensively.

"Stay behind me," she said, eyes darting between the guards that fanned out around her.

Ruby glanced between the faunus and the guards before looping her hair around her hand and figuring out her plan.

Blake swung the frying pan at Jaune's sword, making him cry out in shock.

"Uh, Pyrrha? She's using a frying pan, what do I do?!"

"Fight!" Nora cried. "It's a frying pan, for dust sake! You have a sword, so you should win!"

Pyrrha came to stand at Jaune's side, pulling her sword out in front of her.

Ilia looked at her partner in crime for a moment and sighed.

"Don't let that girl get hurt," Ilia said before throwing herself at Jaune, tackling him to the ground.

Ilia climbed on top of him and slicing her rope with the sword, which she then stole out of his hands.

She smiled and scrambled to her feet.

"Wasn't planning on it!" Blake replied, ducking under an attack from Nora.

"Then why did she just jump off the cliff?!" Ilia cried, elbowing Jaune in the face and causing him to pass out.

Blake's eyes widened and she looked behind her.

"What?!"

In her distracted state, Nora dove forward with her sword in front of her.

Just a moment before it could hit Blake in the heart, Ruby came flying through the air, supported by her long red hair, and slammed against the guard, kicking Nora in the side.

Nora let out a cry of shock and Blake watched Ruby with wide eyes.

"Blake, watch out!" Ilia called.

The cat faunus spun, pulling the frying pan up to deflect the sword strike from Pyrrha.

"Frying pans, who knew?" Blake asked, smirking as she parrying another attack from the captain of the guard.

"Uh, Blake, maybe don't antagonize her," Ilia said as she defended herself from Ren.

"I've gotta get me one of these," Blake muttered to herself, holding the frying pan with a sort of reverent expression on her face.

Pyrrha ignored her excitement and used her sword expertly, pushing Blake further and further toward the edge of the cliff until her foot hit the edge, and she grimaced.

Ilia looked between the pair with a small frown.

"Pyrrha, don't kill her!" Ilia called, blocking an attack from Ren.

Pyrrha's eyes darted to Ilia, and she frowned just slightly, as if hurt.

"Blake!" Ruby cried out, swinging her hair through the air again and wrapping it around Blake's wrist.

Blake considered just for a moment before giving Pyrrha a smirk and a salute, stepping off the cliff.

Ruby pulled with all her might, and Blake went careening through the air, being pulled toward the other girl.

Ruby grabbed her around the waist and held her tightly.

"Don't get yourself killed, you're my guide!" Ruby cried.

"Gee, thanks," Blake muttered.

"Aw, you know I wouldn't let you die."

"Blake, little help here!" Ilia called, backing against a wall as Pyrrha and Nora neared her on two different sides.

Blake looked to the side, eyes wide as she realized where they were. At the top of a water dripper.

"Jump, Red."

"What?!"

Blake grabbed her and tossed her into the water before following.

"Be there in a second, Ilia!" she called.

Ilia blocked two swords, shifting colors before kicking Nora in the gut.

"Thanks," she called back sarcastically.

Pyrrha hesitated as she looked at Ilia, and the faunus did the same. Nora swung at Ilia, who was so distracted that she almost got hit.

"Thought you said not to hurt anyone," Pyrrha said lowly. Nora glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Next thing you know you'll be Ciel," Nora muttered.

"I said don't kill her, and I'm not trying to hurt anyone," Ilia replied sharply, deflecting an attack from Pyrrha.

As they fought, Nora's sword got embedded in the side of the dam, and when she pulled it out, a leak sprung out of it.

Blake grabbed Ruby's hand as they stopped skidding down the makeshift water slide. Blake pulled her toward a cave she'd spotted.

Behind them, the guards raced in their direction.

"Come on, Red! We gotta go!"

The dam broke, and water came rushing into the area. It struck a large rock behind the pair, and it started to fall behind them as they sprinted. Just as they entered the cave, the rock closed off the exit, almost hitting Blake in the back and was an instant from landing on Ruby's hair.

Outside, Ilia let out a cry.

"PYRRHA!" she screamed, grabbing the captain of the guard with one hand, dropping the sword she'd stolen from Jaune, and she grabbed the edge of the dam with her other hand.

Ilia held on tight, keeping the other girl from being washed off of the cliff.

Inside the cave, Ruby and Blake watched in horror as the water started to fill it up from a small crack.

"We need to find an escape," Blake muttered, kicking at rocks and throwing them to the side in an attempt to find it.

The water filled it up quickly, and she looked around worriedly.

The water filled up more, and the two girls struggled to stay over the water.

"Stay here," Blake said, setting a hand on the other girl's shoulder before taking a deep breath and diving under the water.

She tried to find an escape, but she couldn't see anything. She cut her hand against a rock and grimaced, grabbing it with her other one. When she couldn't hold her breath anymore, she hurried back to the surface, gasping for breath.

"It's no use, I can't see anything."

Ruby went down to dive, but Blake grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey, there's no point. It's pitch black down there."

"This is all my fault. She was right, I never should have done this. I'm so... I'm so sorry, Blake," Ruby said, wiping at her eyes as tears formed in them.

They both struggled to stay above the surface, and Blake glanced at her.

"No, it's not, Ruby... I understand."

Rub frowned, glancing at her.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"I understand being held back, feeling trapped and wanting to escape. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you find your dream."

She grabbed the other girl's hand, and Ruby smiled up at her through her tears.

"As long as we're sharing, I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

Blake blinked in confusion.

"What?!"

"I have... magic hair, that glows when I sing!" Ruby cried, eyes going wide. She started to sing. "Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine."

She took a deep breath just as the water filled the entirety of the chamber, ducking under the water, her hair glowing a bright shade of red. Blake's eyes widened and she lost a bit of air to the water in her surprise.

Ruby's hands shot forward as soon as she saw a group of loose rocks. Blake helped her move some of the rocks desperately before the water finally rushed out.

The two went shooting out of the cave and into a river.

-

Ilia grabbed at her arm, grimacing. The one that had held onto Pyrrha's was dislocated now, but the captain of the guard was still lying there, so she guessed that it was worth it.

Pyrrha coughed up a bit of water, sitting up.

She hurried to the edge and found her fellow guards all struggling to their feet. They were alive, thankfully, but... Ilia wouldn't have known that would happen.

"Why did you do that?" Pyrrha asked, stepping closer to the faunus.

Ilia grimaced as she looked up at her.

"I...," Ilia finally locked her gaze with Pyrrha, "I couldn't just let you die."

Pyrrha knelt down in front of the faunus, looking her in the eyes.

"This is going to hurt."

"Wh-"

Pyrrha's hands shot forward and latched onto her shoulder, popping it back into place. Ilia let out a loud cry of shock, hand flying to her injured arm.

"Thank you," Pyrrha said seriously, reaching out her hand. Ilia hesitantly took it, surprised to find that Pyrrha didn't use the action as leverage to tie her up with the rope at her waist, instead holding her up.

"You're... you're welcome."

-

Blake and Ruby came ashore.

"We're alive... we're alive!" Ruby cried, grinning at Crescent Rose.

"Her hair actually glows," Blake muttered to herself with wide eyes. Her head shot to the chameleon.

"Blake," Ruby called as she stood.

"Why does her hair glow?!"

"Blake!"

"What?!" Blake replied hysterically, eyes wide.

"It doesn't just glow."

Blake glanced at Crescent Rose, who grinned.

"Why is she smiling at me?" Blake asked Ruby, sounding highly uncomfortable.

-

Ruby took a seat beside Blake on a fallen log, reaching out to grab the other girl's hand and wrapping hair around it.

"You're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand," Blake said, raising an eyebrow.

Ruby tightened the hair, and Blake grunted in pain.

"Sorry!" Ruby cried, grimacing.

Ruby looked Blake in the eyes intently.

"Just... just don't freak out."

Blake nodded slowly, staring up into Ruby's silver eyes with a sort of distracted expression.

Ruby took a slow breath before she started to sing slowly.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fates design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."

As she sang, Blake watched with wonder as the hair at the base of her skull started to glow a bright red, the color bleeding down the rest of the hair until it reached where it was wrapped around Blake's injured palm.

Ruby unwrapped Blake's hand once she'd stopped singing, and Blake's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared down at her palm, which now lacked the scratch it had sported less than a minute ago.

"I..."

"Don't freak out!" Ruby said quickly, looking at her with an adorable, innocent expression.

"I-I'm not! I'm just... very intrigued by your magical glowing, healing hair. I mean how long has it been doing...," Blake gestured vaguely, " _that_."

"Forever, I guess. Mother said when I was a baby people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But, once it's cut. It turns black, and looses it's power. A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me... That's why I...I never left the..."

"You never left your tower," Blake finished. "Are you still going to go back?"

"No...yes," Ruby sighed, burying her face in her hands. "It's complicated."

There was a moment of silence while Ruby collected herself, letting out a long breath. She looked up again, suddenly grinning in excitement. Blake wondered if she would get whiplash from the girl's quick emotional changes.

"So, what were you talking about back at the cave?"

Blake stiffened.

"About being trapped, I mean," Ruby elaborated, smiling up at her.

Blake rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, letting out a sigh.

"Well... I should save you the sob story, but, if you really want to know...," Blake trailed off and glanced at her new traveling companion. Ruby nodded eagerly, and Blake barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

"Alright, alright. When I was... younger, I was a big fighter for faunus rights. I went to every rally, fought with all my heart... I just wanted the world to see that we weren't as different from humans as they seemed to think. That's where I met... _him_. He was young, handsome, and so, _so_ sure of himself. I got swept up in his confidence, in his belief that equality could only be born from war. And so I followed him, Adam, I mean. I followed him through thick and thin, and soon, instead of feeling liberated in his presence... it turned constricting. We started to date, and he became... possessive. I was trapped in the very place I thought would save me."

Blake tilted her head back so she could look up at the starry night sky.

"So one day I ran, Ilia and I, that is. And we just... kept running."

Ruby stared at her with wide eyes, and she reached out her hand, setting it on top of Blake's.

"Blake, I'm... I'm so sorry," she whispered, squeezing Blake's hand tightly with her own.

Blake finally tore her gaze from the sky to look down at Ruby. She leaned a bit closer at the words.

"You don't have to feel sorry for me, Ruby. I'm free now, and so are you."

The two locked eyes for a long, almost tense moment before Ruby's eyes drifted down to land on the other girl's lips. She didn't see it, but Blake's did as well.

Blake suddenly cleared her throat, tearing her eyes away from the other girl.

"Um, well I should uh... I, I should get some more firewood," Blake said, standing and heading toward the woods.

Just before she could leave their small clearing, Ruby called out.

"Thank you."

"For what?" the faunus asked, pausing.

"For telling me all that."

Blake gave her a small smile, which Ruby met with a wide grin.

Blake finally left the clearing, and Ruby watched where she'd left with a fond look in her eyes.

"Well, I thought she'd never leave," a familiar voice said.

Ruby jumped, spinning to face the direction the words had come from.

"Mother?"

"Hello, dear," Salem replied, stepping into the clearing.

"H-how did you find me?" Ruby stammered.

"Oh, it was easy really. I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal, and followed that," Salem drawled, glaring down at the girl.

Ruby curled in on herself slightly.

"Mother..."

"We're going home. Now," Salem snapped.

Ruby's eyes went wide.

"You...You don't understand," she stuttered, "I've been on the most incredible journey! I've seen and learned so much!" Ruby hesitated, her face turning a light shade of pink as she looked down. "I even met someone."

"Yes, the wanted thief. I'm so proud. Come on," Salem said, striding toward her.

Ruby panicked.

"Mother, wait! I think... I think she likes me," Ruby said.

"Likes you? Please, Ruby, that's demented!" Ruby let out a sound of protest. " This is why you never should have left! Dear this whole romance that you've invented, just proves you're to naive to be here. Why a kid like you? Come on now, really. Look at you, that face, that ancient dress. Do be a dummy, come with mummy. Mother...," Salem said, trailing off.

"No!" Ruby shouted.

"No? No. I see how it is. Ruby, knows best. Ruby's so mature, now. Such a clever grown up miss. Ruby knows best. Fine, if you're so sure now. Go ahead then give her, this! HAH!" Salem triumphantly pulled out a satchel and a crown, thrusting it at Ruby.

"How did you...," Ruby trailed off, staring down at the object.

"This is why she's here! Don't let her deceive you! Give it to her, watch, you'll see!" Salem cried.

"I trust her!" Ruby replied, staring down at the satchel.

"Trust me my dear," Salem snapped to emphasize her next point, "That's how fast she'll leave you! I won't say I told you so! No, Ruby knows best! So if she's such a dreamboat, go and put her to the test!" she cried.

"Mother, don't leave!" Ruby called as the other woman started to leave the clearing.

"If she's lying, don't come crying! Mother, knows best!" Salem cried before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Ruby coughed, eyes searching for her mother but coming up short.

She stared out where her mother had left for a long moment before trailing back to the fire with her shoulders slumped.

She sat down on the long, and a moment later Blake stepped into the clearing.

"Ruby? Are you alright?" she asked, noticing the other girl's somber mood almost immediately.

"Oh, sorry, yes. Just um, lost in thought, I guess," Ruby said slowly, looking up and Blake and offering her a small smile.

-

Blake awoke to the sensation of being dragged across the ground, and she let out a cry of shock.

"Wh-Ruby!" she cried out, eyes going wide as she sat up and slapped at the hands that held her boots.

"Pyrrha, put her down!" a familiar voice cried.

"Blake?!" Ruby cried out, racing over to Blake and skidding to a stop in front of the three people.

"Ilia, she's a wanted criminal!"

"So am I!"

"And I tied you up!"

"I saved your life!"

"I would have been fine!"

"Ilia?! What's going on?!" Blake cried, scrambling to her feet.

"Let go of her, she's my friend!" Ruby shouted at full volume, swinging her frying pan at the captain of the guard.

Pyrrha threw herself to the side to avoid getting hit.

Ruby spun to Ilia, raising the frying pan to hit the chameleon faunus as well.

"Wait, Ruby, calm down!" Blake cried. "That's Ilia!"

Ruby hesitated.

"That's your friend, right?" Ruby asked.

Blake nodded and walked over to stand by the other girl's side.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked.

Blake gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Blake Belladonna, you're under arrest," Pyrrha said, pulling her sword out and standing back up.

"Ilia, get behind me," Blake said, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"I, uh... Pyrrha, Blake, whatever your name is, can we all just calm down?" Ilia asked.

Blake glanced at her.

"That means put your weapons and frying pans down!" Ilia snapped.

Ruby glanced at Blake, who nodded slowly. Pyrrha put her weapon down as well.

Ruby took a deep breath and smiled at Pyrrha.

"Hi, uh, my name's Ruby, and, look, today is kinda the biggest day of my life. And I need, I need you not to get her arrested. Just for twenty four hours and then, you can chase each other to your hearts content. Okay? And it's also my birthday. Just so you know," Ruby said.

Pyrrha glanced between Ruby and Ilia. Ilia gave her her kindest smile.

Pyrrha sighed.

"What's so important about today?" Pyrrha asked Ruby.

"Today's the day I getting to see the floating lights!" Ruby said excitedly.

"The lanterns," Blake corrected.

"The lanterns!" Ruby continued, not losing any of her enthusiasm. "I've been waiting for this for eighteen years!"

Pyrrha hesitated, eyes flickering from Blake to Ilia.

"Fine. Fine! Just for today! But after that...," Pyrrha trailed off as she saw Ilia staring at her. "I'll think about it."

Ruby squealed and raced forward, throwing her arms around the captain of the guard.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried in excitement.

When Ruby pulled away from the other girl, Ilia smiled up at Pyrrha, the scales of her face turning a light shade of pink.

"That was very sweet of you," Ilia said slowly.

Blake raised a suggestive eyebrow at her partner in crime, grinning.

Ilia flushed deeper, looking away from the two girls.

"Blake, can we get going?" Ruby asked excitedly, looking up at the cat faunus.

Blake smiled down at her gently, and Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at the criminal, as if surprised Blake was looking at the innocent girl so fondly.

"Sure we can, Ruby," she said.

Ruby grinned and grabbed Blake's hand, tugging her toward the kingdom. Blake was surprised that she was bringing her in the right direction.

Blake glanced over her shoulder, finding that Ilia and Pyrrha were following after her.

Pyrrha watched her with a small glare while Ilia gave her a wave.

As they neared the bridge into the kingdom itself, Pyrrha's hand reached out and she threaded her fingers in between Ilia's own.

Ilia jumped in shock, and she glanced at the captain of the guard, who was smiling gently.

"I always loved this festival," Pyrrha whispered. "I guess I'm taking the day off, considering I'm letting not just Blake go but you as well."

Ilia wondered why Pyrrha was saying this, if there was some sort of purpose that she hadn't put together.

"You know, when I was younger, nobody ever wanted to ask me out because of my part in the guard and before that I was always... intimidating, I guess."

Ilia stared at Pyrrha with a look of confusion.

Pyrrha didn't look at her, a small smirk on her face.

"I always wanted a date to this festival..."

Blake glanced behind her, staring at Ilia intently and waving her hand impatiently. Ilia frowned in confusion.

"Ask her out," Blake mouthed silently.

Ilia's eyes widened in shock and her scales turned a dark shade of red.

"Uh, Pyrrha... would you like to... attend the festival with me?" Ilia asked incredibly slowly.

Pyrrha beamed down at her.

"I would be honored," she said, holding Ilia's hand tightly.

Ilia's eyes widened in disbelief, and Blake laughed quietly.

"Wait... really?!"

"Of course," Pyrrha said gently, pulling the other girl closer with their connected hads.

-

The four stepped into the kingdom, and Ruby stared at the kingdom in shock, eyes wide with wonder. She raced farther into the kingdom, and started to race forward, only to have several passerbys bumped against her and stepped on her hair, causing her to get lost in the chaos of more people than she'd ever seen before in her life.

Blake hurried to her side, helping Ruby collect her hair in a large pile in her hands.

Blake glanced around, her eyes falling on a group of little girls that were braiding each other's hair.

The cat faunus held up the hair invitingly.

"You girls want a challenge?" she asked.

The girls gasped in excitement, racing toward four and leading them to a largely uninhabited area.

They darted around her, throwing sections of hair over each other and adding large sections of flowers to it.

Pyrrha reached out and put her hand on Blake's head, shoving her down under a small section to hide her from the passing guards behind them. Meanwhile, she shoved Ilia in front of her, holding the girl gently with an arm around her waist.

Ilia flushed, looking up at the captain of the guard with a small, flustered smile.

Ruby finally stood, her red hair braided tightly and going down to almost her ankles, contained for the first time in her life.

Blake turned to look at the girl, eyes widening as she stared at her. Ruby twirled in a circle, and Blake found herself smiling gently, looking her up and down. Ruby put a hand on her neck, looking up at Blake with a small, gentle smile.

"What do you think?" Ruby asked.

"I... it looks great, Ruby," Blake said.

Ilia glanced at her partner in crime, elbowing Blake with a small smirk.

Blake flushed and looked away.

"Come on, there's far more to see," Pyrrha said, pulling Ilia out toward the kingdom.

"What is there?" Ruby asked excitedly, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes.

Pyrrha opened her mouth to answer, but Blake hurried to the young woman's side.

"Come with me!"

Blake showed her some of the shops, but Ruby was distracted by a large mural and saw that depicted two parents holding up a baby with bright red hair and silver eyes.

She stared up at the mural for a long moment before glancing down at a small child that set down a flower at the foot of the mural.

"It's for the lost princess!" the girl said happily.

Before Ruby could give it much more thought, music started up behind her. She gasped in excitement, starting to dance to the tune in the pavilion. She raced forward and grabbed a small boy's hand, spinning in a circle as she danced. The child joined in, and Ruby continued the pattern, helping to encourage the other people around her to dance.

She latched onto Pyrrha's hands and pulled her into the dancing, making the captain of the guard laugh in excitement.

Pyrrha looked to Ilia as she switched between different parents, gesturing for the other girl to join in with her. Ilia flushed and hurried forward, grabbing Pyrrha's hands in her own as she passed, the captain of the guard spinning her in a circle as they happily skipped to the tune of the music around them.

As Ruby spun to the music, she turned to look at Blake, who was standing with a small smile on her face as she watched, arms crossed against her chest. Ruby gestured for the faunus to join her, and Blake shook her head.

"I don't dance, Red," she said as the other girl twirled by.

Ilia scoffed and grabbed her partner in crime's hand and tugging her into the dancing circle. Blake glared at her playfully before Pyrrha stepped in, taking Ilia's hands in her own.

The music chimed around them, and the four girls spun tot the rhythm, changing partners with the rest of the people around them.

Suddenly, as Blake was released of a different dance partner, she caught sight of Ruby twirling toward her. She held out her hand for the excitable girl, and Ruby grinned, reaching forward to take it. Before the two could grab onto each other, though, two other forms intercepted them.

Blake gave Ruby a sympathetic smile, wondering why she felt so frustrated at the other girl being stolen from her for a dance. Dust, Blake didn't even _like_ dancing! But, she supposed, if it was with Ruby, maybe she could make an exception.

The dancing continued for a few minutes before Blake and Ruby finally reached each other, Blake's hand coming to rest on Ruby's waist as the younger girl put a hand on her shoulder.

They stared at one another with a sort of wide eyed look, and Ruby smiled shyly up at her.

Before they could actually start the dance, a loud voice called through the kingdom.

"To the boats!"

Ruby and Blake slowly pulled away, both regretting their actions greatly.

Ruby was settling down to watch the sky, but Blake grabbed her hand and dragged her out toward the water, Pyrrha and Ilia trailing behind them.

When they reached the water, Ruby started to head to the large boat that the majority of people were crowding onto. Once again, Blake led her to the side, stepping onto a small two person ship.

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Well, best day of your life. I figured you should have a decent seat," Blake replied, holding her hand out to help Ruby step on board. The younger girl took it, stepping on board.

Blake glanced up at Ilia, smiling at her while Pyrrha watched her with a wary expression.

"Ilia, don't chicken out on this," Blake called as she pushed the boat away from the harbor with an oar, smiling at Ruby.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked, finding that her new traveling companion was looking more than a bit anxious.

"I'm terrified," Ruby breathed.

"What? Why?" Blake asked nervously, wondering if she'd done something wrong somehow.

"I've been looking out the window for eighteen years. Dreaming about what it would feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything that I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be," Blake said gently, setting her hand on top of Ruby's comfortingly.

"And what if it is? What then?" Ruby asked anxiously.

"Well that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream," Blake said, staring intently down at Ruby.

As the boat gently floated across the water, Blake revealed two small lanterns, one of which she handed to Ruby.

Ruby gasped in excitement, holding it with a sort of reverence.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Blake watched her with a fond smile.

There was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other.

Then, they lifted the lanterns gently into the air, watching them float upward.

Ruby gasped, darting to the edge of the boat and holding on gently, watching the lanterns as they rose up.

Blake watched her with a love struck look on her face, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I have something for you, too. I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. The thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?" Ruby said gently, turning to face her guide. She held up the satchel, and Blake dismissively put it on the seat beside herself.

"I'm starting to," Blake breathed gently.

She leaned forward toward Ruby, putting her hand on her chin and pulling her closer.

Ruby's gaze shot down to Blake's lips, eyes fluttering shut.

Blake took that as an invitation to lean closer and connect their lips, but she hesitated for just a moment. Ruby's eyes fluttered back open.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked, heart pounding. Was Blake not going to kiss her? Ruby had thought...

"Huh? Oh yes. Uh, yes of course. I just... I'm sorry, everything is fine. There's just something I have to take care of," Blake said, looking over the other girl's shoulders.

Ruby felt her heart sink, and she nodded slowly as the other girl to move toward the boat toward the shore.

"I'll be right back," Blake promised, putting her hand on Ruby's own.

Blake walked into the shore, smiling at Ilia's form.

"Blake, why in _dust's_ name would you be out here and not kissing that girl as we speak?!" Ilia hissed, glaring at her.

"Just... take this, and give it back to Pyrrha for me," Blake said, passing the crown to Ilia.

"Why didn't you kiss her?! She's waiting there for you to come back, and you're wasting your time here with me!" Ilia hissed, shoving Blake toward the boat.

Suddenly, a figure slammed a branch against the back of Ilia's head. Blake let out a cry of shock before she was hit too.

-

Ruby let out a breath of relief as a figure walked out of the fog toward her.

"Blake! I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me," Ruby said, grinning.

Her mother stepped out of the shadows and pointed at the water.

"She did."

Ruby spun at where Salem was pointing, finding a large boat with Blake at the helm.

"Blake. BLAKE!" Ruby called. The other girl didn't turn, and Ruby's eyes filled with tears.

"I was so worried about you dear. So I followed you. And I saw them run off. Let's go, let's go," Salem said.

Ruby ran forward and threw her arms around her mother.

"You were right, mother. You were right about everything," Ruby mumbled.

"I know darling. I know," Salem said.

Ruby sighed and held her mother tighter.

-

Blake came to on the ship, the crown clutched in her hand as she was tied to the wheel.

The ship was boarded by guards that hastened forward, picking up Ilia and Blake, dragging them toward the jail.

"No, no, no, no! Guys! Wait! Ruby! RUBY!" Blake screamed at the top of her voice.

Pyrrha watched the pair be dragged toward her.

"We got them, captain!" a guard said.

"Take them to their cells," Pyrrha said formally.

Ilia stared at Pyrrha with a pained look in her eyes, head slumping. She didn't say anything.

"Let go! I need to find her!" Blake cried, pulling as hard as she could against the guards around her.

Pyrrha watched the pair as they were dragged away.

-

"There, it never happened," Salem said as she pulled the final flowers out of Ruby's hair, undoing the braids. "Now, wash up for dinner. I'm making hazelnut soup. I really did try, Rapunzel. I tried to warn you, what was out there. The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine. It destroys it."

Ruby sat in thought, her mind racing. Almost all of her thoughts were focused on Blake, but suddenly her mind started to swirl.

-

"This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life," Pyrrha muttered.

"What?" another guard asked.

"This."

Pyrrha slammed the butt of her sword against the guard's head, knocking them out and causing the man to slump against the floor.

"I'm coming, Ilia," she muttered to herself before dashing through the halls.

-

The door to Ruby's door slowly opened.

"Ruby? Ruby, what's going on up there? Are you all right?" Salem called.

Ruby looked up, eyes slightly distracted.

"I'm the lost princess," Ruby mumbled.

"Please, speak up, Ruby. You know how I hate the mumbling," Salem snapped.

Ruby looked up and glared at her mother.

"I am the lost Princess. Aren't I? Did I mumble, Mother? Or should I even call you that?" Ruby snapped.

"Do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" Salem asked.

Ruby stepped down the stairs.

"It was you! It was all, you," Ruby said, eyes blazing with anger.

"Everything I did, was to protect you, Ruby," Salem said.

"I spent my entire life, hiding from people who would use me for my power," Ruby cried. "I should have been hiding from YOU!"

"Where will you go? She won't be there for you," Salem said.

"What did you do to her?!" Ruby cried.

-

Pyrrha threw open the cell doors and grabbed Ilia and Blake each by the hand, tugging them down the hall.

"You came back," Ilia breathed in disbelief.

"Of course I came back," Pyrrha breathed, leaning down and connecting their lips passionately.

Blake watched for a moment before clearing her throat awkwardly.

Pyrrha pulled back from the chameleon faunus and dashed down the hallway until they reached the stables.

"Go to her," Pyrrha said gently.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Yes. Go," Pyrrha said, looping her arms around Ilia's waist and holding her gently. Ilia smiled up at Pyrrha fondly as Blake threw herself onto the nearest horse's back and taking off.

-

Blake pulled the horse to a stop as she reached the tower.

"Ruby, let down your hair!" Blake cried. Nothing happened. "RUBY!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Bright red hair was thrown out of the window, and Blake raced over, pulling herself up the strands.

When she entered the window, she looked around the room with determination. Her gaze landed on Ruby, who was tied up on the ground.

Blake skidded to a stop in front of the other girl, leaning over her.

"Ruby! I thought I'd never see you again!" Blake cried.

Suddenly, a knife slammed through Blake's chest, and the cat faunus gasped, falling to the side limply.

"Now look what you've done, Ruby. Oh don't worry dear. Our secret will die with her. And as for us? We are going where no one will ever find you, again. Ruby, really. Enough all ready. Stop fighting me," Salem said.

Ruby spit the gag out of her mouth, looking at Blake with horror.

"NO! I won't stop. For every minute of the rest of my life I will fight. I will never stop trying to get away from you. But, if you let me save her... I will go with you," Ruby said sincerely, staring down at Blake.

"No. No, Ruby," Blake moaned, shaking her head.

"I'll never run, I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal her. And you and I will be together. Forever, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just like you want. Just let me heal her," Ruby pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.

Salem handcuffed Blake to the side of the tower wall.

"In case you get any ideas about following us," she growled.

Salem let go of Ruby, who scrambled over to Blake, setting her hands on the other girl's chest.

"Ruby! Oh, I'm so sorry. Everything is going to okay, in a moment," Ruby promised, holding the other girl gently.

"No, Ruby!" she said, trying to pry Ruby's hands off of her.

"I promise, you have to trust me," Ruby breathed, leaning closer.

"No... I can't let you do this," Blake said, pushing Ruby further away.

"But I can't let you die," Ruby said, tears forming in her eyes.

"But if you do this," Blake said while Ruby shushed her, "then you'll die."

"Hey. It's gonna be all right," Ruby said, shushing her again.

Ruby started to sing.

"Ruby, wait," Blake said, reaching her hand up to cradle Ruby's face.

"Blake, wha-"

Blake raised a sharp piece of glass and cut through Ruby's hair.

Ruby watched in horror as the strands turned black. She threw herself over Blake, tears already forming in her eyes.

Salem stumbled toward the window.

"NOOO! No...NO! What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" she cried.

Ruby ignored her as Salem tripped out the window, courtesy of Crescent Rose.

Ruby pulled herself closer to Blake.

"No, no, no, NOOO! No, no, no, no, Blake! Oh, look at me, look I'm right here. Don't go, stay with me, Ruby."

She started to sing through her tears.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine."

The song didn't do anything.

"Ruby," Blake breathed, reaching her hand up to cradle Ruby's face.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"You were my new dream," Blake said through deep breaths.

"And you were mine," Ruby said, putting a hand on Blake's own and pulling it closer to her face.

"Heal what has been hurt. Change the fates design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine," Ruby sung through tears, voice cracking.

A single tear fell down her cheek and landed on the other girl.

A brilliant red light exploded through the room, illuminating it.

Blake's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Ruby?"

"Blake!" Ruby cried, staring down at her with disbelief.

"Did I ever tell you, I've got a thing for brunettes?" Blake breathed, cradling the other girl's hand gently.

Ruby leaned down and connected their lips finally.

-

"And that was it. The best moment in all of human history," Blake's voice narrated. Ruby laughed. "You can imagine what happened next. The lost princess was returned to the kingdom, the kingdom rejoiced! Pyrrha was reinstated as the captain of the guard, Ilia got a job working with her and Ilia **finally** kissed her. As for me? I turned my life around, married the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and now-"

"We're living happily ever after," Ruby finished.

"Yeah, we are."


	2. Hercules- White Rose

It wasn't exactly Ruby's fault that she was always a bit... different than the other children, which carried over into her blossoming adulthood.

She was small and slim still, even at seventeen, but that didn't stop her from being abnormally strong.

And by strong, she meant _strong_. At the moment, she was pulling her father and his wagon at a sprint into town.

"Ruby, slow down! Look out!" Qrow cried.

Ruby tried to skid to a stop, but for all her strength, she was still clumsy. She slammed against the first person that stepped in her path, causing her to lose her grip on the wagon and fell over on top of the other citizen.

"Hey, watch it!" the man cried, shoving Ruby off of him.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ruby said, trying to offer her hand to help the man up. He eyed her hand warily, scrambling to his feet without touching her.

Ruby watched him go with a small grimace.

"I'm sorry!" she called after him, waving at his retreating figure.

"Thanks for taking me to town, Rubes. Thought I was done for after Penelope," he gestured at the donkey, "twisted her ankle back there."

"No problem!" Ruby said excitedly.

She moved forward to help unload the wagon, but Qrow side stepped in front of her, laughing awkwardly.

"Uh, how about... how about you wait until after I'm done haggling to unload?" Qrow asked.

Ruby nodded, letting out a quiet sigh as she set the goods back down on the back of the wagon. The sudden added weight of the straw caused the donkey to be sent flying off of the wagon and into the air.

"Sorry, Penelope!" Ruby cried, racing over to the front of the cart and angling herself just right. After a moment, the donkey fell back into her arms, and she gently set her down on the ground.

"Rubes, this time, just stay by-"

"Stay by the wagon, I know," Ruby said with a sigh. She leaned back against the cart, almost tipping it over. She scrambled to grab it, saving it at the last second.

"That's my girl," Qrow said, reaching his hand up to ruffle her hair.

She laughed, swatting at his hand. Thankfully for Qrow, she missed. The last time she'd hit his hand like that, it had been in a splint for four months.

Qrow walked off to talk to the merchant, and Ruby looked around, tapping her foot in boredom. A moment later, her gaze landed on small man, who was struggling to support a vase.

She gasped and dashed forward, steadying it gently.

"Careful!" Ruby said.

"Thank you!" the man cried, craning his neck to see around the vase.

Ruby stuck her head out from the other side, beaming.

"You're welcome!" she said excitedly.

"Oh, Ruby! It's you!" he cried suddenly, eyes wide. He pulled the vase back, and almost fell.

"Let me help you with that!" Ruby said, dashing forward and attempting to steady the vase.

"No, I've got it!" the man cried.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Very! Run along now!"

Ruby winced and watched him try to keep from falling over.

She sighed, shaking her head and trailing back outside. Nobody ever wanted Ruby's help.

Suddenly, a small disc flew over her head.

"Somebody grab it!" a young voice called.

Ruby grinned in excitement, taking off at a sprint. She ran underneath where the disc traveled, eyes locked on it.

"I got it!" she called.

When she'd caught up to it, she leapt into the air, grabbing the flying disc.

She slammed against a pillar full force, slumping to the ground.

There was a loud crack, and her eyes widened as she watched the pillar topple to the side. Ruby bounded to her feet, hands flying out to try and catch it.

She let out a sigh of relief when she grabbed the pillar.

"Ruby!" Qrow cried.

She turned quickly to face her father, but in doing so she slammed the pillar against another of its kind, causing that one to fall to the side and hit the one next to it. Suddenly, the marketplace became like a pile of giant dominoes, the pillars colliding with one another and toppling to the ground until all that was left was a pile of rubble.

Ruby looked around in horror, eyes falling on Qrow.

"This is it! This is the last straw, Branwen!" a trader cried. "That **thing** is too dangerous to be kept! Send it back into the woods!"

Ruby winced, eyes going wide as she looked to her father.

"She didn't mean to! She's just a kid! She can't control her own strength!" Qrow said.

There was a loud booing from the crowd of citizens.

"Go away, freak!"

"Yeah!"

"Never come back!"

Ruby stumbled back until her back hit the wagon, tipping it over. She scrambled forward and grabbed it before it could hit the ground.

Qrow said some choice words to the townspeople before stalking over to Ruby and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Come on, we're leaving."

-

Ruby trailed into the house, slumping against a chair, which broke.

Ruby fell against the ground, letting out a cry of shock.

"Hey, it's alright, that's why we have spares, right, Honey?" Clover asked, pulling Ruby back to her feet gently.

Qrow grumbled, but nodded, leaving the room to grab another chair.

"Qrow told me what happened. Don't let what they said back there get to you," Clover said gently.

Ruby sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"But dad, what if they're right? I _am_ a freak! I try to fit in, I really do, but... sometimes I feel like I don't belong here. Like I'm supposed to be somewhere else!"

Qrow walked back into the room, glancing at Clover.

"Ruby, there's something your father and I have been meaning to tell you," Clover said.

Qrow gestured for her to take a seat in the chair he'd just brought in, taking her hand.

"We're... not your real parents," Clover said.

"What?!" Ruby cried, looking between the two men. "You're not?!"

Qrow side eyed her.

"Do you even know how-you know what? Now's not the time. What matters is, we found you in the woods just a little over seventeen years ago," Qrow said.

Clover pulled a small blanket out of his pocket.

"With this around your neck. It's the symbol of the gods."

Ruby took it and ran her hand along it reverently.

"This is it! Don't you see? Maybe the gods will have the answers! I'll go to the temple of Taiyang and-"

She saw the look of loss on her fathers faces, and she reached out to grab their hands.

"Father, Dad, you've both been the best parents in the world, but... I have to know."

"We knew this day would come," Clover said, setting his hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Just... maybe come visit some time?" Qrow asked.

"I will! I promise!" Ruby cried as she darted out the door.

-

Ruby climbed up the temple, throwing the door open (rather accidentally, considering she still didn't know her own strength).

She hurried to the foot of the great stone statue to Taiyang, god of lightning. Around him sat a few other gods, including Pyrrha, goddess of the hunt, Velvet, goddess of messengers, Nora, goddess of war, and even Blake, goddess of battle strategy.

"Oh, mighty Taiyang, please hear my prayer and answer me! Who am I? Where do I belong?" Ruby cried into the silent temple.

The wind whistled around her, rustling her cloak and hair. She picked her head up, tilting it to the side in confusion.

"What-"

Suddenly, stone cracked and the inanimate figure in front of her moved.

Ruby let out a cry of shock, scrambling backward toward the exit.

"Ruby! Slow down, slow down!" the statue cried reaching out its hand to grab her by the collar of her cloak.

Ruby let out a grunt as she was set down on the figure's shoulder.

"What's the rush? After all these years you finally get to meet your father and then start to run away? Why, I'm almost offended!"

"F-father?" Ruby asked in shock, staring at him.

"Didn't know you had a famous father, did you? Surprise!" Taiyang said excitedly.

Ruby stared at him in disbelief.

"Look at you! You're... well, you're not _that_ much bigger than you were as a baby, but you've grown! You've definitely got your mother's eyes...," he trailed off.

"I... I don't understand," Ruby stuttered, "if you're my father, that would make me-"

"A god!" Taiyang said dramatically.

"A god?!" Ruby cried.

"Hey, you wanted answers, and by thunder, you're old enough now to know the truth," Taiyang said.

"But... then why did you leave me on Earth? Didn't you... didn't you want me?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Of course we did! Your mother and I loved you with all our hearts! Someone stole you from us and turned you mortal, and only gods can live on Mount Olympus," Taiyang explained.

"And there's nothing you can do?" Ruby asked, staring up at him with disbelief.

"I can't, but you can, Ruby!" Taiyang cried.

"W-what?!" Ruby asked. "Me?! What can I do?! I'll do anything!"

"Ruby, if you can prove yourself a true hero on earth, your godhood will be restored!" Taiyang explained.

"Great! True hero! Got it!" Ruby cried, darting off of his shoulder and racing toward the exit.

"Ruby, I haven't even told you what a true hero is!" Taiyang cried, grabbing Ruby with a gentle hand before she could leave.

"Oh, right. How do I _become_ a true hero?!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"First, you need to find Glynda, the trainer of true heroes!" Taiyang explained.

"Who?" Ruby asked.

Taiyang sighed, rubbing a stone hand against his temple.

"Just... take this, and she'll show you the way."

Ruby's eyes widened in shock as Taiyang waved his hand, a large pegasus appearing from thin air and rushing toward Ruby excitedly.

"You might not remember her, but you and Crescent Rose go way back. She'll take you to Glynda!" Taiyang cried.

Ruby excitedly climbed onto the pegasus.

"Don't worry, dad! I'll make you proud!" she cried, clicking her heels against Crescent Rose and causing the pegasus to go flying.

Taiyang watched her go with a small, fond smile.

"You already have, Ruby," he muttered to himself.

-

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Ruby asked, looking around the island they'd landed on.

Crescent Rose whinnied, and Ruby looked around the shrubbery.

A woman stepped out of the bushes, looking her up and down.

"Are you Glyna?!" Ruby cried immediately, racing forward.

"I am," the woman said, nodding slowly.

"Oh, that's great! You see, my father, well, he's kind of my father, like, biologically? But Qrow's my father and Clover's my dad, and... it's not important! I was told to find you!" Ruby said, grinning up at him.

"And why, exactly, were you sent to find me?" she asked curtly, stalking through the clearing.

"So I can become a true hero!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

Glynda glanced at her, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard **that** ," she muttered.

Ruby frowned, following her eagerly.

"Is that a good thing?"

"No."

"Oh," Ruby muttered, shaking her head in frustration.

"Listen, kid-"

"Ruby!"

"Ruby, listen, I've trained a lot of heroes, all way more intimidating and stronger than yourself, and not a one of them has been able to become a true hero."

"I'm different! My dad said I was meant to do this!" Ruby cried.

Glynda shook her head, sighing and muttering to herself.

"Another father telling their kids they can do anything. Dust, when will they just tell their kids they're worthless?"

Ruby scrambled over to a nearby tree. She grabbed it with both hands before yanking it out of the ground, spinning to face Glynda.

"See?!"

Gylnda gaped at Ruby for a moment.

"By Summer... Maybe I could-no, no!"

Ruby scrambled so that she stood in front of the other woman, blocking her path.

"But if I don't do this, I'll never be able to rejoin my father, Taiyang!" she cried.

Glynda hesitated, eyes widening just slightly.

"You're Taiyang's kid?"

Ruby nodded excitedly.

Glynda ran a hand through her hair.

She looked up at the sky, glaring.

"Taiyang, you're testing me," she muttered before turning to face Ruby again. "Alright, kid, I'll do it."

Ruby grinned, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Glynda watched her with a raised eyebrow, clearing unimpressed.

"We have a long road ahead of us, Ruby."

"That's alright!" Ruby grinned. "I can go the distance!"

-

After several months of training, Ruby finally _almost_ looked like a hero (it was hard when she was still very short and thin, but she'd worked up some muscle for sure), and she **definitely** fought like one!

"Next stop, Olympus!" Ruby cried excitedly.

Glynda raised and eyebrow, but didn't respond.

"I am ready. I want to get off this island. I want to see battles and monsters! Maybe... rescue some damsels," Ruby trailed off, Crescent Rose rolling her eyes and letting out a disappointed whinny.

"You know, hero stuff!" Ruby cried.

"Ruby-"

"Awww, come on, Gylnda!" Ruby whined.

"I suppose a quick test wouldn't be too bad," Glynda conceded, making Ruby whoop for joy.

"Come on, come on!" Ruby cried in excitement, leaping onto Crescent Rose and pulling Glynda behind her. "Wait... where are we going?"

Glynda sighed, shaking her head at Ruby.

"Thebes."

"Oh! Great! I can't wait!" Ruby said. Crescent Rose took off, and Ruby hesitated. "What's Thebes?"

"A place filled with many great opportunities to build your reputation," Glynda replied as they flew over Thebes.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek echoed through the air.

"It appears that you're in luck, Ruby," Gylnda said, "that sounds like a typical damsel in distress."

Ruby grinned and spurred Crescent Rose into action.

The three landed behind a few bushes, looking out at the action.

There was a giant blue centaur, which was several times Ruby's own height, that was holding up... Ruby's eyes wide as she stared up at a small woman, a little shorter than she herself, with blindingly white hair and striking blue eyes. Ruby stared at her, almost forgetting the current situation.

The centaur let out an evil laugh.

"Not so fast, sweetheart," he said.

The woman squirmed in his grasp.

"I swear, Nessus. Put me down or I'll-"

"Whoo! I like 'em firey!" the centaur said.

The woman glared at him, struggling in his grasp.

Ruby gasped in shock.

"Now, remember, kid. First analyze the situation. Don't just barrel in there without thinking-and she's gone," Glynda said, shaking her head in frsutration.

Ruby strode toward the centaur and the woman he held.

"You don't know what you're-"

Ruby cut off the damsel in distress.

"Halt!" Ruby cried, making her voice as intimidating as possible.

The centaur and the woman turned to look at her, both seeming thoroughly unimpressed.

"Step aside, two legs," the centaur growled.

Ruby glared at him, trying to seem intimidating. The centaur loomed over her, and Ruby took an unconscious step backward before correcting herself.

"Pardon me, my good," she glanced down, "sir. I must insist that you release that young-"

"Get lost, wondergirl," the woman said, struggling in the centaur's grasp.

"... lady...," Ruby frowned in confusion, eyes darting to the mysterious woman. "But... aren't you a damsel in distress?" Ruby took a moment to think, starting to count on her fingers. "You screamed, you're in a monster's grasp, you're a beautiful young woman," the mysterious woman flushed, "and... that means I'm supposed to save you!"

The other woman glared down at Ruby.

"I might be a damsel, and I _might_ be in distress, but I can take care of **myself** , thank you very much! Now move along."

Ruby blinked at her in confusion.

"Uh," she cleared her throat, "ma'am, I'm afraid you might not really see the gravity of your situation-"

"Ruby, your sword," Glynda reprimanded harshly.

Ruby's eyes widened and she scrambled to grab her weapon off of her belt.

"Right! My sword!"

The centaur slammed the back of his palm against Ruby's face, and she went flying.

She scrambled to find her sword in the water, turning to face the centaur with a smug expression as she grabbed-

A fish.

The mysterious woman watched her with an air of disbelief, as if she couldn't comprehend how Ruby was failing _so_ badly, yet not giving up.

The centaur punched Ruby again, and she went flying, slamming her head against a rock.

Crescent Rose whinnied in shock, attempting to hurry to the girl's side.

Glynda put a hand on the animal's shoulder.

"Hold on, she must do this herself."

Ruby sat back up.

"Use your head!" Glynda called.

Ruby nondded in understanding, scrambling to her feet and racing toward the centaur at full speed. She slammed her head against the beast, watching as it went flying.

Ruby grinned in excitement, turning to look at her companions with a proud look on her face.

"Not... exactly what I had in mind," Glynda muttered.

Ruby looked down, eyes widening as she saw the damsel in distress thoroughly soaked as she sat in the water, coughing.

"Oh!"

Ruby swooped down, grabbing the woman in both of her arms and scooping her up.

She set the other woman down on a log, reaching her hand up to move the hair out of her face.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked, leaning closer.

The mysterious woman rolled her eyes, face a bit red.

"I said I was _fine_ earlier, didn't seem to stop you. That probably wasn't the first time you were hit in the head."

Ruby chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Yeah... that was dumb."

The mysterious woman laughed quietly.

"Yeah, it was."

She was about to respond, but there was a loud splashing behind her, courtesy of the centaur.

"Excuse me!" Ruby said, giving the other girl a wide smile before taking off.

"Is she for real?" the woman asked, glancing at Glynda.

Glynda gave her a small, side eyed glare.

"She is certainly 'for real,' I trained her myself."

"Should have done better then," the woman muttered.

Glynda's glare turned darker.

Meanwhile, Ruby punched the centaur, sending it flying almost a mile into the air before it came crumbling back to the ground, sinking into the water.

Ruby giggled in excitement, clapping her hands as she celebrated.

She came skipping over to her teacher.

"How was that?!"

"Rein it in, rookie. You can get away with mistakes like those in the minor decathlons, but this is the big leagues."

Ruby frowned.

"At least I beat him," she muttered, kicking at the ground.

"Next time, you need to stay focused and don't let yourself get distracted by the dams-"

Ruby had already turned her gaze to the woman in question, and she began to follow her as she walked off.

"Are you alright, miss..."

"Weiss. My name is Weiss," the woman turned, looking Ruby up and down. "Did they give you a name, along with those muscles?"

Ruby flushed slightly, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"Uh, hehe, my name's Ruby."

"Ruby? Huh, I think I'll stick with wondergirl."

Ruby frowned slightly, but ignored it.

"So, how'd you get mixed up in...," she glanced around at the swamp and the monster, "this."

Ruby violently gestured, and Weiss held in a laugh.

"Wrong place, wrong time," she said. "Well, thank you for helping me, even though I told you several times, in no uncertain terms, not to."

Weiss flipped her wet hair over her shoulder, hitting Ruby in the face.

"Uh, well, I was just trying to help! Didn't want you to get hurt!" Ruby said, wiping the water off her face.

Weiss didn't let herself look back, in case she get lost in those little puppy dog eyes. She started to walk away, but Ruby darted up to her.

"Wait! Wouldn't you like a ride?" she asked, gesturing at Crescent Rose, who glared at the pair.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think your... whatever that is likes me."

"What?! Crescent Rose?! No! She'd be more than happy to-"

Weiss cut Ruby off.

"Look, I already said thank you for saving me, even though I didn't need it! I can take care of myself, wondergirl, and I definitely don't need you to carry me back to town on that thing of yours."

Ruby wilted slightly, and Weiss sighed.

"But, maybe if I see you again, I'll let you compensate me for my wet clothes with dinner."

Ruby grinned in excitement, and Weiss turned around quickly, flushing and not wanting the other girl to see.

Ruby watched her walk away with a fond smile.

"She's something, isn't she?" she asked quietly, leaning against Crescent Rose as she watched her.

Glynda and Crescent Rose exchanged pained looks.

Ruby let out a sigh, grinning foolishly.

"Ruby, let's go, we still haven't reached Thebes," Glynda said.

Ruby jumped.

"Oh! Right, right!"

She scrambled onto Crescent Rose's back.

-

Weiss glared at Cinder.

"What exactly happened here, Weiss? I thought you were gonna persuade the river guardian to join my team for the uprising, and here I am, kind of river guardian-less," Cinder drawled.

Weiss crossed her arms.

"Didn't work out."

"Fine. So, instead of subtracting two years from your sentence, hey, I'm gonna add two on, okay?" Cinder asked with mock kindness.

Weiss spun.

"Look, it wasn't my fault. It was this wondergirl, Ruby!" she snapped.

Cinder stiffened, eyes blazing with anger as she turned on her two henchmen, Mercury and Emerald.

"So you took care of her, huh? Dead as a door nail. Weren't those your exact words?"

"Maybe it's a different Ruby," Mercury offered.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"You're telling me... that I'm trying to rearrange the cosmos and destroy everything that _idiot_ Taiyang has created... and you failed to kill the one person that could kill me?!" Cinder snapped.

Weiss' eyes widened.

"At least we made her mortal. That's a good thing. Didn't we?" Emerald defended.

"Hmm. Fortunatley for the three of you, we still have time to correct this rather egregious oversight," Cinder said.

-

Ruby made her way through the town at Glynda's side, listening to the townspeople as they spoke of a disaster.

"The end is coming! Can't you feel it?"

"It was tragic! We lost everything in the fire."

"Now, were the fires before or after the earthquake?"

"They were after the earthquake. I remember."

"But before the flood."

"Don't even get me started on the crime rate!"

Glynda raised an eyebrow and subtly elbowed Ruby, whose eyes widened as she grinned.

"Uh, excuse me! It seems like you folks could use a hero!" Ruby called, grinning.

"Yeah, and who are you?" a voice asked.

"I'm Ruby! And I happen to be a hero!" she said excitedly.

The crowd started to laugh.

"Have you ever saved a town before?"

"Not exactly," Ruby said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Have you ever reversed a natural disaster?"

"Uh, I haven't done that either, but I'm working my way up-"

"Come back when you're a real hero."

Ruby sighed dejectedly.

"How am I supposed to become a hero if nobody'll give me a chance?!"

"You'll get your chance. You just need some kind of catastrophe or disaster," Glynda comforted awkwardly.

Just then, a woman came running into the clearing, panting.

"Please! Help! Please! There's been a terrible accident!" Weiss cried.

""Weiss?!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Wondergirl! Ruby! Thank goodness!" Weiss said.

Ruby frowned in confusion, putting her hands on Weiss' arms in an attempt to calm her down.

"What's going on? Are you alright?"

"Outside of town, two little boys. And they were playing in the gorge. And there was this terrible rock slide. A terrible rock slide! They're trapped!" Weiss said dramatically.

"Kids? Trapped? Glynda, this is great!" Ruby said happily

"You're real worried, aren't you?" Weiss asked sarcastically, making Ruby grimace.

"Come on!" she grabbed Weiss by the waist, lifting her into the air and setting her down on Crescent Rose.

Ruby leapt up in front of her, glancing over her shoulder and giving Weiss a big grin.

Weiss was momentarily distracted as she looked at Ruby, causing her to almost forget they were about to start flying.

"Hey, put me down! I don't like heights!"

Crescent Rose took off with a smirk, and Weiss grabbed Ruby around the waist tightly as they flew.

On the ground, Glynda scoffed.

"Yes, forget me for her, I'll just catch up on foot," she muttered before running after.

Ruby was bouncing up and down with excitement at the prospect of proving herself, and Weiss couldn't help the small smile that grew on her lips. It was quickly dispatched by the bumpy ride, and she held the other girl tighter to keep from flying off.

When Crescent Rose landed, Ruby vaulted off, glancing back at Weiss.

"You okay?"

Weiss grimaced.

"Just get me down!"

Ruby grabbed her and gently set her back down on the ground, giving her a grin.

She was shocked back into action when she heard the voice of a small boy call out.

"Help! I can't breathe!"

"I, uh... be right back!" Ruby called at Weiss before dashing toward them.

She skidded to a stop as she got in front of the two boys, who were trapped underneath an impossibly large rock.

"Hurry! Get us out!" the first cried.

"We're suffocating!" the second continued.

"Hey, hey, calm down! You're gonna be alright!" Ruby comforted.

"We can't last much longer!"

Ruby panicked, dropping down to grab the rock in her hands. She grunted for a moment as she pulled the rock up. She teetered for a moment before standing straight, holding it above her head victoriously.

She grinned in excitement, and Weiss watched her with wide eyes.

Ruby glanced at Weiss excitedly, and Weiss quickly looked away.

"Are you two alright?" Ruby asked in her best hero voice.

"We're okay now," the first said.

"Jeepers, ma'am! You're really strong!" the second said.

"Well, just try to be a little more careful next time, okay, kids?" Ruby asked.

"We sure will!" the first said before the two scampered off.

Ruby watched them go with a grin.

The gathered crowd started to applaud, and Ruby almost giggled as she set the rock back down.

-

Emerald and Mercury scurried up the hill, and she pushed him.

"'Jeepers, ma'am!' Really?!"

"I was going for innocence!" he defended.

"You two shut up! We're not done!" Cinder snapped, moving forward to watch.

-

"Come on, get outta there," Weiss muttered to herself, watching Ruby with a nervous glint to her eyes.

Ruby bounded up to Glynda as she finally entered the ravene.

"Ah, Glynda, you shoulda seen it! They even _applauded_! Well, kinda, but they did!" Ruby said excitedly.

There was a loud growling to the side, and Ruby jumped, looking over.

"Uh, Glynda, what was that?"

Before Ruby's teacher could respond, 

A giant beast appeared, leering down at Ruby with ferocity.

Ruby scrambled back as it loomed over her, stepping closer and closer.

Ruby drew her sword in front of her.

The beast lurched forward, and Ruby rolled to the side to avoid getting eaten. It swerved and tried again, but Ruby was able to duck, raising her sword.

"Ruby, that's a hydra, whatever you do, don't-"

Ruby swung her sword with all her strength, slamming it against the monster's neck and slicing clean through it.

"-cut its head off," Glynda finished.

Ruby grinned in excitement, turning to face her teacher as the crowd cheered.

"Ruby, turn around!" Weiss snapped, surprising herself. She was **not** supposed to be helping Ruby.

Ruby frowned in confusion, but did as instruct, spinning to face the monster.

Suddenly, the form writhed and wriggled, three heads growing where there had been two.

Ruby's eyes widened and she pulled her sword back out, holding it in front of her.

As the hydra lunged at her, Ruby turned to run, whistling as loud as she could.

Crescent Rose swooped down, and Ruby grabbed onto the Pegasus the moment before she could get eaten by the hydra.

The two flew through the air, and Ruby raised her weapon to slice through the monster's neck.

"Ruby, I swear if you cut its neck," Weiss muttered to herself.

"Ruby, don't slice the head off!" Glynda snapped.

Weiss let out a breath as Ruby stopped herself, instead diving down with Crescent Rose to avoid getting eaten.

Ruby looked around, eyes wide.

"Okay, Crescent Rose, I've got an idea," she whispered.

The pegasus glanced at her and she gave an apologetic smile before she threw herself off of its back, grabbing onto the cliff side.

The hydra's heads immediately turned to her and shot forward.

Just as one hand slammed against her chest to hold her in spot, Ruby slammed her fist against the side of the cliff, causing the rocks at the top to topple over and come crashing down.

The rocks hit the hydra in the heads before burying the creature in rubble.

The dust settled, and the crowd stared at where Ruby had been, seeing the hydra's dead body laying underneath the rocks.

Cinder let out an evil laugh, settling down against her chair.

Weiss stared at the rubble with wide eyes, a hand going to her mouth.

"There goes another one," Glynda whispered to herself.

Weiss' eyes started to cloud, but she forced them to clear when she saw...

The hydra's hand started to twitch, and a moment later, Ruby threw open the claws, standing there triumphantly.

Weiss took a deep breath, not realizing that she hadn't since Ruby had began to fight.

There was a loud cheer from the crowd, and Ruby was lifted off of her feet after a moment, being paraded on the shoulders of a few different townspeople.

Ruby laughed excitedly, lost in the fray. But, just as she passed Weiss, she turned with a grin.

"Haha! I did it!" she said, looking at Weiss excitedly.

Weiss offered her a small smile, and Ruby seemed only more enthusiastic from the expression.

"You sure did," Weiss muttered to herself.

-

Ruby became an instant celebrity and hero to the world. She was beloved across the world for her conquests. She was unbeaten, ten for ten, no matter what Cinder sent at her, Ruby was able to defeat it.

She had cash to burn, her face on everything that could be sold.

She was beloved by every man that saw her, hunted down and wanted by not just them, but a fair bit of women too!

Despite that, and all of the gossip, she hadn't settled down, her eyes on her goal: _Olypmus_.

-

"Looks like your game's over. Wondergirl is hitting every curve you throw at her," Weiss said, smirking at Cinder.

"Oh, yeah," Cinder chuckled, "I wonder if maybe I haven't been throwing, the right curves at her, Weiss."

She smirked at Weiss, who flushed and recoiled.

"Don't even go there," she growled.

Cinder smirked.

"See, she's gotta have a weakness, because everybody's got a weakness. I mean, for what? Pandora, it was the box thing. For the Trojans, hey. They bet on the wrong horse, okay? We simply need to find out Wondergirl's."

Weiss folded her arms against her chest, scowling.

"Find it yourself," she snapped, "I've sworn... that sort of thing off."

"Well, you know, that's good because that's what got you into this jam in the first place, isn't it? So you sold your soul to me to save your boyfriend's life. And how does this creep thank you? By running off with some babe. He hurt you real bad, didn't he, Weiss? Huh?" Cinder asked.

Weiss stiffened.

"I learned my lesson," she growled.

"Which is exactly why I got a feeling, you're gonna leap at my new offer. You give me the key to bringing down Wonder Breath, and I give you the thing that you crave most in the entire cosmos: your freedom."

Weiss hesitated.

-

Ruby kicked at the ground.

Her father said she wasn't a _true hero_ yet... what did that even mean?! How was she supposed to know what to do if he wouldn't tell her?!

She sighed.

"Glynda, I'm going for a walk," Ruby muttered.

Glynda waved her off, clearly dealing with some business deal that Ruby didn't care about.

She stepped outside, and was immediately bombarded by fans, who attempted to get her attention.

Ruby ran away, barely avoiding the group by hiding in the bushes.

"How often do you just hide behind these things?" a familiar voice asked.

Ruby jumped, looking back. She grinned, scrambling to her feet.

"Weiss!" she said with excitement. "It's great to see you!"

Weiss flushed slightly, looking away.

"Is this what heroes do on their days off?" she asked, gesturing around.

"Oh, I'm no hero," Ruby said, sounding slightly wistful as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Sure seems like you are. Got the whole world thinking you're the best thing since the wheel."

Ruby sighed.

"I know, it's _crazy_! I can't go anywhere without getting mobbed!"

"Sounds like you need a break. How about you take the day off with me?"

Ruby grinned, nodding in excitement.

"I'd love to!" she suddenly winced. "But I... can't. Glynda's got the whole day booked and-"

"Come on, Wondergirl. You're the hero, right?"

Ruby nodded hesitantly.

"Then let's liberate that freedom of yours. Come on."

Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her away.

Ruby was done for then, following Weiss happily wherever she went.

-

The pair walked through the garden that night, Ruby barely keeping herself from dragging Weiss to move faster.

"Today was _amazing_! The restaurant had the most **delicious** food, and the play was so funny!"

Weiss watched the excitable hero, a fond smile appearing on her face.

Before Weiss could respond, she heard a hiss from the side of the garden.

"Stop fooling around," Mercury hissed.

"Seal the deal!" Emerald continued.

Weiss' eyes widened as the pair turned into birds and flew away.

"Oh, I didn't know playing hooky could be this fun!" Ruby said with excitement.

"Neither did I," Weiss muttered, almost like she was talking to herself.

"Thanks, Weiss!" Ruby said happily.

"Don't thank me yet," Weiss said quietly. She purposefully tripped, and Ruby spun to catch her.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked worriedly. Weiss stared up at her for a long moment before remembering what she was supposed to say.

"Oh, weak ankles," Weiss lied.

"Then you should sit down," Ruby said sagely, setting her down on a nearby bench and joining her.

"So, do you have any problems with things like this?" Weiss asked, moving closer to Ruby.

"Uh, problems like what?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Weak ankles, I mean."

"Oh! No, can't say I do!"

"Trick knee, maybe?"

"Nope!" Ruby said happily.

All the while, Weiss was scooting closer and closer to her.

"No weaknesses whatsoever?" Weiss asked.

Ruby turned to face Weiss when she put a hand on her arm.

Ruby frowned for a moment, looking down at her.

"Uh, no, don't think so," she said. Her eyes widened. "Oh, Weiss! Your dress strap is messed up."

Ruby reached up and corrected it, grinning.

"There you go!"

Ruby stood and walked over to the pond while Weiss flushed, watching her.

"Wondergirl, you are perfect," she said with a sigh. It was more lovestruck and less frustrated than she'd expected.

Ruby laughed, picking up a rock.

"Thanks!"

She skipped the rock, and it hit a statue with force.

Ruby winced, eyes wide.

Weiss chuckled quietly, coming up to stand beside her.

"Sorry," Ruby apologized, and Weiss was about to respond, but a flash of light above them surprised her.

The pair watched a shooting star go by.

Ruby considered for a moment before sighing.

"You know, when I was a kid, I would have given anything to be _just_ like everyone else."

"You mean petty and dishonest?" Weiss asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Not everybody's like that," Ruby defended.

"Yes they are," Weiss whispered.

"You're not like that," Ruby replied.

"What do you know about me?" Weiss asked, sounding slightly dejected.

"Uh, well... I know that you're the most amazing person I've ever met! You're smart, and funny, and a bit cold, but underneath you're like a big giant teddy bear!" Ruby said excitedly, grabbing Weiss' hand.

Weiss gulped, taking an unconscious step back.

When she did, her back hit a small statue cupid's arrow, and she stared at it with horror, as if the statue had sealed her fate.

"When I'm with you, I don't feel as alone," Ruby continued, taking another step closer.

"Sometimes it's better to be alone," Weiss responded.

"What?"

"Nobody can hurt you that way," Weiss muttered.

"Weiss, I would never hurt you."

Weiss stared at Ruby with wide eyes.

"And I don't wanna hurt you, so, let's both do ourselves a favor and stop this, um, before we-"

Weiss trailed off, her gaze having shot down to Ruby's lips. She moved forward slightly, eyes fluttering shut.

"There you are! We've been looking for you all day!" Glynda snapped.

The two shot apart, and Weiss cursed herself internally for her slip up.

Glynda glared at Weiss before her gaze shot to Ruby.

"Ruby, come on, it's time for the workout of your life."

"But there wasn't one schedule-"

"Did I stutter?!" Glynda snapped.

Ruby shook her head quickly, turning back to Weiss. She reached her hand up to grab a flower from a nearby tree, almost snapping it in two from the pressure she put on it.

"I had a great time with you today, Weiss," she said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on Weiss' cheek.

Weiss froze, face turning a bright shade of red as Ruby was pulled away by Glynda.

Weiss stared down at the flower, running her thumb against its edge gently.

Weiss all but fell against the bench, staring at the flower with a love sick look on her face.

"What's wrong with me? You would have thought I would have learned by now," Weiss muttered to herself.

 _Who am I kidding? She's the earth and heaven to me,_ Weiss thought.

"Oh no," Weiss muttered, sighing and shaking her head.

She was sure that if anyone looked at her, they would _know_ who she was thinking about.

"It's too cliché," she whispered.

 _Get a grip!_ she thought.

She walked through the garden, pausing when she saw a mural of a strong warrior taking a woman into his arms and kissing her.

Weiss let out a wistful sigh before her eyes widened in realization. She shook her head and hurried away, bumping into a statue of Ruby.

Weiss found herself smiling up at the statue, setting her head against the stone chest.

"No way," Weiss muttered to herself, pulling away. "I won't say it! At least... out loud, I won't say I'm in love."

She sat down against the edge of a fountain, sighing as she ran her hand against the flower again, holding it to her chest.

-

Cinder appeared in front of her, and Weiss jumped.

"So, what is it? What's wondergirl's weakness?"

"Get yourself another girl. I'm through," Weiss snapped.

"What?" Cinder growled.

"I'm out!" Weiss snapped.

"You're forgetting something, Weiss. I **own** you," Cinder growled.

Weiss flinched.

"If I say "sing" you say, "Hey, name that tune." If I say, "I want Wonderboy's head on a platter," you say--

"Medium or well-done," Weiss muttered.

Glynda stared in shock through the bushes.

"I knew she was trouble," Glynda muttered, racing off. "This is going to break her heart."

"I'll work on that," Weiss muttered.

"I'm sorry. You hear that sound? That's the sound of your freedom, fluttering out the window forever," Cinder sneered.

Weiss shook her head.

"I don't care! I won't help you hurt her!"

"I can't believe you're getting so worked up about some _girl_ ," Cinder growled.

Weiss glared at her.

"Ruby's... she's different! She's sweet and-and innocent! And kind-"

"Please," Cinder growled, waving her hand dismissively.

"She would never do anything to hurt me!" Weiss cried.

Cinder scoffed.

"Besides, O oneness, you can't beat her. She has no weaknesses! She's gonna-"

Cinder cut Weiss off, grabbing her.

"Oh, I think she does."

-

Ruby was doing pull-ups with an excited smile on her face.

"Glynda! What's up?!" she called as the other woman entered the training area.

Glynda looked up at Ruby, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Ruby, we need to talk."

"Oh, Glynda, I just had the greatest day of my life! I-I, I can't stop thinking about Weiss," Ruby sighed dreamily. "She's something else."

"I'm trying to talk to you, can you come down for a second?" Glynda called.

Ruby spun around the pull-up back.

"How can I come down when I'm feeling so _up_!"

Glynda glared at her, and Ruby sighed, letting herself fall to the ground.

While the pair was distracted, there was a quiet whistle, which made Crescent Rose look up. She was met with a large, blue, and buff pegasus. She grinned and trotted over to the pegasus, following him into the stable.

A moment later, the pegasus split in two, Emerald and Mercury leaping at the pegasus and tying her up.

Meanwhile, Ruby still had a lovesick smile on her face.

"What I'm trying to say is-"

Ruby cut her teacher off.

"That if it wasn't for you, I never would have met her. Oh, I owe ya big time," Ruby said dreamily.

"Listen to me! She's-"

"A dream come true?" Ruby breathed her question.

"Not exactly-"

"As beautiful as Blake the goddess?" Ruby continued.

"Aside from that!" Glynda snapped.

"The most wonderful-"

Glynda cut Ruby off, tired of the lovesick girl's words.

"She's a fraud! She's been playing you!"

Ruby laughed.

"Aw, come on! She's way too sweet for that! Stop kidding around!"

"I'm not kidding!" Glynda snapped.

Ruby paused, frowning.

"I know you're upset about today, but that's no reason to-"

"You're missing the point, Ruby!" Glynda snapped.

"The point is I love her!" Ruby cried.

"She doesn't love you," Glynda snapped.

"You're crazy!" Ruby denied.

"She's nothing but a lying, two-face-"

"Stop it!" Ruby cried, spinning around and accidentally hitting Glynda in the face with her fist.

Ruby's eyes widened in shock.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Okay, okay, that's it. You won't face the truth? Fine!" Glynda snapped, heading out of the training area.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Ruby cried.

"I'm leaving!" Glynda snapped.

Ruby crumbled.

"I... fine! Go! She wouldn't do that to me!"

Ruby sniffed, wiping at her eyes as tears began to fall onto her cheeks.

"Geez, what's her problem?" a voice asked.

Ruby jumped, turning to face the intruder.

"Cinder, goddess of the underworld," the voice said.

"Can we not do this right now?" Ruby asked.

Cinder blinked at her in shock, as if surprised the other girl could just... not care that she was there.

Ruby sighed, running a hand through her hair uncertainly.

"I'm here to make a deal," Cinder said.

"Not interested," Ruby replied.

"Are you sure? Because... there might be a bit of leverage I haven't shown you," Cinder said.

Ruby glanced at the goddess as she snapped, summoning-

"Weiss!" Ruby cried.

"Don't listen to her, Rub-"

Weiss was cut off as Cinder snapped her finger, causing the other girl to become enveloped in chains and fall to the ground.

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Here's the trade-off. You give up your strength for about 24 hours, okay? Say the next 24 hours. And Weiss here is free as a bird and safe from harm."

"People are, are gonna get hurt, aren't they?" Ruby asked distrustfully, eyes flickering to Weiss, who struggled in her bonds as if to tell Ruby to leave her.

"Nah! I mean, it's a possibility. It happens because, you know, it's war. But what can I tell ya? Anyway, what do you owe these people? Huh? Isn't Weiss more important than they are?" Cinder asked, grabbing Weiss' face in her hands.

"Stop it!" Ruby snapped.

"Isn't she?!" Cinder pressured angrily.

"You've gotta swear she'll be safe from any harm," Ruby said.

"Fine, okay. I'll give you that one. Weiss is safe, otherwise you get your strength right back. Shake on it?" Cinder asked dismissively.

Ruby hesitated, and Weiss screamed into her gags.

Ruby stepped up, taking Cinder's hand in her own and shaking it.

Ruby instantly fell to her knees, her strength being seeped out of her.

"You may feel just a little queasy. It's kinda natural. Maybe you should sit down!" Cinder snapped, throwing weights at Ruby.

Ruby fell to the ground, struggling to free herself.

"Now you know how it feels to be just like everybody else," Cinder drawled.

Ruby gasped for breath as Cinder grabbed Weiss by the arm, pulling her closer.

"One more thing. Weiss, a deal's a deal. You're off the hook. And by the way, Ruby, is she not a fabulous little actress?" Cinder asked.

"Stop it!" Weiss pleaded.

"W-what?" Ruby stuttered, finally freeing herself by wiggling out from under the weights.

"Your little 'true love' here? She was working for me the whole time," Cinder drawled.

"You're... you're lying!" Ruby snapped.

Emerald and Mercury appeared behind Cinder, stepping forward and transforming into two familiar young boys.

"Help!"

"Jeepers, ma'am, you're strong!" they cried.

Ruby stumbled back, eyes wide as they darted to Weiss in disbelief.

Weiss struggled for words.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Weiss," Cinder said with a sneer.

"Ruby, I... I couldn't! I didn't have a choice!" Weiss cried.

As Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury disappeared, Ruby stumbled and fell to her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Weiss collapsed as well, tears falling down her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, over and over.

-

Cinder laughed manically as she summoned the titans, sending them toward Olympus.

Meanwhile, the gods and goddesses prepared for war.

"Velvet, we're under attack! Send out the message!" Taiyang snapped.

She raced off at top speed, light on her feet.

On the ground, citizens cried out.

"Where's Ruby?!"

"Ruby will save us!" the citizens cried as a giant cyclops, three times the size of any building, ravaged the town.

Ruby stood, looking out at the large city.

She let out a breath before stepping forward down the stairs.

Weiss threw herself in front of Ruby.

"Without your strength, you'll die!" she cried.

Ruby looked down at her, wiping tears from her eyes.

"There are worse things."

Weiss watched her go with wide eyes.

The cyclops stepped up to Ruby.

"So this is the mighty Ruby?!" it cried, backhanding her and sending Ruby flying across the city, slamming against a wall.

Weiss gasped, about to rush forward to help Ruby, but hesitated when she heard whinnying behind her. She raced backward, skidding to a stop in front of a stable and finding Crescent Rose tied up.

"Easy, girl," Weiss said as she stepped up to the angry pegasus. She started to untie her. "Ruby's in trouble. We have to find Glynda! She's the only one that can help her!"

Crescent Rose stopped fighting her, eyes wide.

A moment later, the pair burst out of the stable, Weiss screaming as she held onto the pegasus for dear life.

They sped through the sky until they saw Glynda boarding a ship at the docks.

"GLYNDA!" Weiss cried.

The teacher hesitated, looking up.

"Ruby needs your help!"

"What does she need me for when she has _you_?" Glynda asked snidely.

"I know what I did was wrong, but this isn't about me!" Weiss snapped. "If you don't help her, Ruby will _die_!"

Glynda's eyes widened and she hurried back up to where Weiss and Crescent Rose hovered.

-

Ruby slammed back against a wall, gasping for breath. She was covered in bruises and aches, so much so that her entire body looked some shade of purple.

"RUBY!" a familiar voice called.

Ruby's head shot up, and a tired smile graced her face.

"Glynda!" she called, coughing after a moment.

Glynda hurried to her side, skidding to a stop on her knees.

"Ruby, come on, you can take him. I've seen you in action."

Ruby's eyes filled with tears.

"You were right. You were right all along... I doomed us all! I can't fight him without my strength, I'm just delaying the inevitable."

"And you're going to quit? Just like that?" Glynda asked Ruby sharply. "I came back because I'm not quitting on you. I'm willing to go the distance. Are you?"

Ruby was about to respond, but the cyclops grabbed her in its fist and lifted her into the air with a mighty growl.

Ruby struggled in its fist, trying to free herself as she was pulled closer and closer to its face.

As she passed, she caught sight of a burning piece of wood, which she grabbed.

When she reached the monster's face, she shoved the flaming wood at it. The beast caught on fire and dropped her in shock.

Ruby landed in a wagon and scrambled to her feet despite the way her sore body protested against it in a way she'd never felt before.

She grabbed a piece of rope, racing forward and darting between the monster's stumbling legs until it was tied up.

The monster fell back over the cliff, and Ruby grinned.

Except-

It was falling toward her. She rolled to the side just a moment before the titan could hit her.

She watched it topple to the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

Ruby didn't notice the pillar falling toward her.

Weiss, however, did.

"RUBY! Look out!" she cried, racing forward.

She threw the other girl out of the way, the pillar slamming against her.

Ruby spun.

"WEISS! No!"

She scrambled over to the pillar, struggling to lift it.

After a moment, she started to glow, and she easily lifted it.

"What happened?" Ruby asked in shock.

"Cinder's promise is broken," Weiss coughed, "I got hurt."

Ruby grabbed the other girl and moved closer.

"Weiss, why did you..."

"People do crazy things when... they're in love," Weiss said, reaching her hand up to cradle Ruby's face.

Ruby's eyes widened, and she leaned closer.

"Oh, Weiss, I... I l-"

"You don't have that much time. You can still stop Cinder," Weiss said, pulling her hand away from Ruby gently.

Ruby nodded and leapt to her feet. She hopped onto Crescent Rose and grabbed onto her mane.

Ruby, on top of Crescent Rose, raced through the sky, slamming her sword between chains that held the gods and goddesses tied up.

She threw a titan into the sky, spinning to face the rest.

"Thanks a ton, Wondergirl. But at least I've got one swell consolation prize, a friend of yours who's _dying_ to see me," Cinder growled.

Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief.

"WEISS!" she cried, leaping onto Crescent Rose and flying toward the other girl.

Ruby skidded to a stop when she landed on the ground beside Weiss.

"Weiss! Weiss, no!" she screamed, eyes filling with tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry, kid. There's some things you just can't change," Glynda said.

"Yes, I can," Ruby said darkly, standing and hopping back onto the pegasus.

-

"We were so close! So close. We tripped the finish line. Why? Because Weiss has to go all noble," Cinder screamed.

Suddenly, the wall broke open, revealing Ruby on top of a giant three-headed dog.

She hopped back down onto the ground, eyes blazing darkly

"Where's Weiss," she growled.

"Oh, look who's here. Wondergirl, you are too much," Cinder drawled.

Ruby grabbed the goddess by the shoulders.

"Let her go!" Ruby snapped.

"Get off of me!" Cinder growled, slapping at her hands. "Here, let me show you around."

Cinder led Ruby into a large room filled with glowing green spirits that whirled like a river.

Ruby saw the other girl, and she gasped.

"Weiss!" she reached her hands toward the river and gasped in pain, pulling out hands that were suddenly aged decades.

"No, no, no. Mustn't touch. You see, Weiss' running with a new crowd these days. And not a very lively one, at that," Cinder drawled, smirking.

Ruby spun to face her.

"You like making deals. Take me in Weiss' place," Ruby said.

Cinder started to consider.

"Going once," Ruby warned.

Cinder hesitated, eyes wide.

"Going twice!" Ruby snapped.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay. You get her out - she goes, you stay."

Ruby shook her hand before diving in hastily.

"Oh, you know what slipped my mind? You'll be dead before you can get to her. That's not a problem, is it?"

Ruby didn't listen to her, swimming purposefully toward the familiar soul of Weiss.

She aged decades in seconds, her hand trembling as it reached toward Weiss.

-

The fates reached the scissor out to cut Ruby's string, ending her life.

-

Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand.

-

The fate used the scissors, but the thread wouldn't cut.

-

Ruby pulled Weiss close, clutching her tightly as she started to glow a bright red.

Ruby swam back to the surface, still youthful and brilliantly glowing.

"This is-- this is impossible! You, you, you can't be alive! You'd have to be a, a-"

"A god?" Ruby asked smugly.

Cinder gasped, eyes wide, and Ruby connected her fist with the goddess' face.

Ruby laughed as she skipped outside of the room with Weiss' soul clutched in her arms.

"Oh, Weiss is going to look so surprised!" Ruby cried gleefully as she leapt onto Crescent Rose.

-

Ruby jumped down, kneeling at Weiss' body's side, gently setting the soul down inside of it.

Weiss' eyes fluttered open.

"Wondergirl? What-why... why did you-"

"People do crazy things when they're in love," Ruby said, leaning down as she pulled the other girl close.

They were about to kiss, but suddenly a lightning bolt hit the ground, creating a cloud underneath them

The two were surprised, pulling apart slightly as they were lifted into the air.

Crescent Rose grabbed Glynda and flew her up after Ruby and Weiss.

The gods and goddesses started to cheer for Ruby, congratulating her as she giddily looked at the opening gates to Olympus, already starting to dart toward it.

"You'll make a great goddess, Wondergirl," Weiss said, turning to go.

"Father, this is the moment I've always dreamed of. But...," Ruby reached out to grab Weiss' hands, "A life without Weiss, even an immortal life, would be... empty. I-- I wish to stay on Earth with her. I finally know where I belong."

Taiyang nodded as Ruby reached forward to grab Weiss around the waist, pulling her closer and finally connecting their lips.

Weiss gasped a moment before the kiss started, and she reached out to grab the other girl's face in her hands, holding her tightly as if worried that Ruby might pull away.

Ruby stopped glowing red, but she didn't care, pulling Weiss closer.

She had everything she'd ever need in her arms.


End file.
